Deion Sanders Breaks Silence on Health Issues at Big 12 Media Days

Deion Sanders took the stage at Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday and addressed his absence from the Colorado Buffaloes Football program. The Hall-of-Famer was two questions into his press conference and was directly asked about his health issues by David Ubben from The Athletic, but deflected.  

“Athletic, sometimes y’all be on that bull junk, Sanders said. "So I’m really not gonna tell you much… But I'm not here to talk about my health. I'm here to talk about my team." 

Sanders' latest health setback was first revealed during a podcast appearance with former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel in May. He said that he had lost 14 pounds. There have been very few details about his condition, but this appearance will mark his first major media event since a press conference April 22.

“I’ve done no media. I’ve done nothing for a minute,” Sanders said on Samuel’s podcast. “So coming on with you is something. I ain’t been in front of nobody for a minute. I lost about 14 pounds. I’m coming back, but I needed this.”

While in Texas, Sanders has hosted visits from friends and supporters, including Travis Hunter, former NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, former Dallas Cowboys teammate Michael Irvin, and rapper Lil Wayne.

"Whenever I'm with him, we laugh like I don't know what," Irvin said after visiting Coach Prime. "This is my boy. I battled with this dude. I know how strong this dude is. I know how he is. He's physically strong, mentally strong, emotionally strong. He's strong. And we've had battles, and I respect him as a giant."

Irvin accompanied Sanders at the event in Frisco, Texas. 

Sanders will enter his third season at Colorado without his sons, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders. He'll be faced with another significant roster turnover with mostly transfers coming to Boulder. 

Coach Prime brought both CU quarterbacks, Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis, with him to Big 12 Media Days. The duo were joined by offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, cornerback DJ McKinney and kicker Alejandro Mata. Seaton and McKinney were named to the preseason All-Big 12 team on Monday.

Colorado Buffaloes 2025 Football Schedule

Aug. 29: vs. Georgia Tech (8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Sept. 6: vs. Delaware (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX)

Sept. 13: @ Houston (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Sept. 20: vs. Wyoming

Sept. 27: vs. BYU (10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Oct. 4: @ TCU

Oct. 11: vs. Iowa State

Oct. 18: BYE

Oct. 25: @ Utah

Nov. 1: vs. Arizona

Nov. 8: @ West Virginia

Nov. 15: BYE

Nov. 22: vs. Arizona State

Nov. 29: @ Kansas State

Dec. 6: Big 12 Championship Game

Sanders signed a five-year, $54 million contract extension earlier this year, becoming the highest-paid coach in the Big 12 Conference. Colorado opens the 2025 season on Friday, Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech (8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).