Deion Sanders Didn't Tell Sons Shedeur, Shilo About Cancerous Tumor in Bladder

He didn't want to distract his sons while their respective NFL careers began.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talks with his son quarterback Shedeur Sanders during a game.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talks with his son quarterback Shedeur Sanders during a game. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders opened up on Monday about the health issue that's kept him away from the Colorado football team since late April. His medical team found a cancerous tumor in his bladder, which prompted a surgery to remove the bladder. He is now cured from the cancer.

In his press conference on Monday, Sanders admitted that he didn't tell his two sons Shedeur and Shilo the truth about his health issue since they were in the midst of starting their respective NFL careers.

"My sons, to this day, don't know what transpired. I just told them it was something with my foot," Sanders said. "I wanted them to focus on making the team and not focused on dad. So, they don't really know."

So, when Shedeur was asked at the Cleveland Browns' minicamp in June what was going on with his dad, he was truthful in saying he didn't know.

Sanders added that his two daughters Deiondra and Shelomi, along with his youngest son Deion Jr., all knew about his cancer throughout the entire ordeal, and they never left his side throughout it all.

Coach Prime did visit his son Shilo in Tampa Bay at the Buccaneers training camp last week to support him. He's continued supporting Shedeur, too, especially throughout the quarterback's tough draft process.

Both Shedeur and Shilo are competing for roster spots during their team's training camps right now. Hopefully they'll be able to see their dad soon to give him some support, too.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.