Don't ever question whether Deion Sanders is truly committed to Colorado again

There are few people on this planet who could reveal during a news conference that they had — and beat — bladder cancer while also making people laugh. But Colorado coach Deion Sanders, a one-of-a-kind human being with unmatched charisma, managed to draw smiles in that setting earlier this week.

“I mean, thank God,” Sanders said, drowning out his vulnerability with strength. “Now I depend on Depends, if you know what I mean. I truly depend on Depends. I cannot control my bladder. I get up and go to the bathroom already four or five times a night, but then I’m sitting up there waking up like my grandson. We in the same thing.

“(My grandson and I) got the same problem right now. We going through the same trials and tribulations. We kind of see who has the heaviest bag at the end of the night. It is ridiculous, but I’m making a joke out of it. But it’s real. So if you see a Porta Potty on the sideline, it is real. OK? I’m just telling you right now, you’re going to see it.”

Throughout his entire coaching career, Sanders has been so easy to criticize. He doesn’t recruit high school kids enough; he doesn’t travel to high schools or other towns for in-home visits; he spends too much time in Texas rather than Colorado; he’s only into coaching so he can have a hand in the development of his son, Shedeur Sanders; he’ll leave Colorado the second a bigger, better job opens. You’ve heard the usual tropes, some of which have come from me.

But after witnessing what Sanders just did, it feels wrong having criticized him at all.

Yes, some of the criticism is/was warranted. When you’re a college football coach, you open yourself up to critiques, especially in the realm of talent accumulation. There is one criticism, however, that none of us can collectively ever say again: that Sanders isn’t fully committed to being a college football coach.

Sanders never needed to be a coach to begin with. A College and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Sanders could have slowed his life down, reveled in his fame, done Geico commercials and lived a prosperous, slow life. He didn’t have to jump into college coaching, especially now that acquiring and maintaining a roster is as dysfunctional as it’s ever been in the sport’s history. It’s cool being a college coach, but it’s not easy.

Even so, he did it. Some said it was to coach his son and eventual Heisman Trophy Award-winner Travis Hunter. Those same people predicted he’d be gone with them.

But no, Sanders stayed. With bladder cancer, something that was life-threatening. If you want to question a man’s commitment to his craft, go ahead. You can’t now. Sanders just battled through a health-condition that not only threatened his life, has long-term effects on how he lives after he beat it. And he’s joking about it.

Why? So he could do the single most impactful thing he’s done at Colorado. This is bigger than winning, than building a program or even getting his players selected in the NFL Draft. With the entire world watching, Sanders delivered a message we all need to hear.

“This wasn’t easy,” he said. “Everybody get checked out, because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled up on this. … Make sure you go to get the right care. Because without wonderful people like (the doctor next to him), I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today because it grew so expeditiously.”

Sanders says he coaches so he can continue to have a lasting impact.

What has more of an impact on the community than taking on cancer, staying committed to your job and delivering a message about the importance of being responsible in your personal healthcare?

Sanders said he had 14 surgeries since he began coaching at Jackson State in 2020. He’s lost two toes. Yet, Sanders still shows up to news conferences with a smile on his face. You may not like him and his bravado, but you should absolutely respect him.

This will be a very interesting season for Colorado. It has forging ahead without Shedeur and Hunter, but the Buffaloes brought in Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter and high-end, four-star true freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis. Colorado also has one of the best offensive tackles in the country in Jordan Seaton. In a wide-open Big 12, it wouldn’t be smart to write Colorado off.

The road ahead is going to be difficult. Sanders was already struggling with his health before having to beat cancer. And with the struggles of being in cancer remission, it’s not going to be a walk in the park to coach a team, recruit and retain a roster.

But Sanders said he never thought about leaving coaching.

“I always knew I was going to coach again,” he said. “I was always going to coach. It was never in my spirit or heart that God wouldn’t allow me to coach again.”

That’s commitment, enough, in fact, to never be questioned again.