When Deion Sanders walks out onto the sideline at Houston's TDECU Stadium on Friday night, he won't be far from the nearest toilet because he brought it with him. No joke.
The 58-year-old Colorado Buffaloes coach is dealing with the new normal after beating bladder cancer. This includes a new porta potty furnished by a sponsorship with Depend, the company offering incontinence support products, which Sanders is taking full advantage of during the times he needs to go during games.
Sanders has been candid about his journey as a cancer survivor. He cannot control his bladder the way he once did. And instead of hiding that reality, he is owning it, even joking about it. “I’m making a joke out of it, but it’s real. OK? I’m just telling you right now. You’re going to see it,” Sanders said before the season.
A new phase of that reality begins on the road. While the Big 12 matchup is key for both teams, Coach Prime's return to Texas is noteworthy. He spent a majority of the past offseason three and a half hours north at his estate in Canton, Texas. Those days of drifting in and out of the unknowns are past him.
Pre-pregame: pic.twitter.com/5MvhVDhQQH
— GoCoogs.com (@gocoogs1) September 12, 2025
"In the spring of this year, Sanders and athletic trainer Lauren Askevold went in for what was supposed to be another vascular evaluation. At first, the news was positive. But within two weeks, Sanders’ doctor urged him to see a urologist. A mass had appeared on his bladder.
"The diagnosis was grim that an aggressive, high-grade tumor had begun invading through the bladder wall. The cancer had not yet penetrated the muscle layer, but without intervention, the odds of recurrence were at least 50 percent. Sanders was referred to Dr. Janet Kukreja, a leading robotic surgeon and director of urologic oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
"Together, they decided that bladder removal — a cystectomy — was the best path forward. In May, Kukreja performed a robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery to remove the bladder and reconstruct a new one.
"By late July, she declared Sanders “cured.”
The porta potty has become linked to "Prime Time" as much as the gold chains and signature Blenders shades. And the product placement is paying off for Depend, who is banking on the success of their biggest spokesperson to date. It might be uncomfortable for some, but for Sanders, it's about bringing awareness by any means necessary. If it saves a life or allows someone to not struggle, the goal of making everything visible has done its job.
For now, Sanders takes a different approach that many of his peers would never try to do.
Colorado heads to Houston for a Big 12 opener with the Cougars (7:30 p.m. ET/TV: ESPN).
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