Randy Moss built a Hall of Fame career on highlight plays that felt impossible. But in an emotional, Good Morning America interview, Moss revealed that his toughest test came off the field. In 2023, he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. “I got up a little fatigued and my urine was a little dark, like Dr. Pepper,” Moss said. “The jaundice of my eyes… I was nervous because the doctor talking about that C word, it just hit me with a ton of bricks.”
After a six hour surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, Moss went into remission. His wife, Lydia, became his caregiver. “He didn’t want our help because he’s used to doing everything on his own,” she said. “But even if he didn’t want to talk, I was going to be there.”
As Moss fought his way back, memories of his late brother Eric weighed heavily. “My brother died at 48. I always prayed, God, just give me 50,” Moss admitted.
That grief connected with a phone call from his longtime friend, Deion Sanders. The Colorado head coach, recovering from bladder cancer, reached out in desperation. “He called me and the first thing he said was, ‘I need you,’” Moss recalled. “He said, ‘Mossy, I haven’t left my bedroom for four or five days.’ And I told him, ‘Prime, I know what you’re going through. My wife told me, man, get out and let the family love you. They miss you.’”
The feeling is mutual coach!#TRUST https://t.co/qExjB9H8ZB
— Randy Moss (@RandyMoss) September 1, 2025
Sanders listened and texted back days later to thank Moss. For Randy, that moment felt like lifting a burden. “I could finally be there for somebody, after what I’d been going through.”
The friendship was not just over the phone. In August 2025, Moss traveled to Boulder for Colorado’s season opener, standing in Sanders’ locker room and addressing the Buffaloes directly. He called the program’s structure “a professional setting” and told players his reason for showing up: “I’m here for the love of my brother, but at the same time I love this game.”
Their connection, built on football greatness, has become a lifeline of faith, family, and fight. Two legends walking the same path, carrying each other through it, both in private moments of struggle and on the public stage in Boulder. And as Moss continues to show his strength away from the game, he is also returning to the spotlight this fall as part of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.
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