Randy Moss kept Deion Sanders' spirits high during unfortunate situation

Deion Sanders met with the media in Boulder for the first time since the Spring Game on Monday. During his press conference, many topics were discussed but mostly centered around his bladder cancer diagnosis, procedure, recovery and the being the vessel for a larger message. One of the more revealing details of the journey to recovery was the list of famous friends that either visited the Sanders’ Texas estate or were consistent with contacting him regularly for support.

The list Sanders shared had many names, but the ones that jump out most, is a who’s who of NFL, hip hop and CU Football program related names. To run through the names, none of them will be surprising, except perhaps, the last one.

Travis Hunter as a former player under Prime and arguably Deion’s best fishing buddy, obviously made the trip to Texas. Twice. Nate Newton and Michael Irvin make perfect sense as they are both former teammates and both have visited Boulder recently on gamedays. DeSean Jackson traveled to Texas and enjoyed a nice day of fishing on Sanders’ lake. Corey Fuller and Pacman Jones are both former NFL defensive backs who have a close relationship with Sanders. At this point, no one should be surprised to see Lil Wayne made the trip as well.

Where the list of well wishers gets a little peculiar, but not surprising was Randy Moss. The best receiver in his era had recently waged his own battle against cancer. In 2023, Moss publicly announced that he had a rare and aggressive bile duct cancer and would need to step away from his ESPN commitments while he deals with his diagnosis. In 2024, Moss was able to confirm that he was cancer free and was returning to ESPN.

In both cases, Moss with bile duct cancer and Sanders with bladder cancer, the prognosis is scary and requires immediate attention. Coach Prime confirmed that Moss called him “every other day” throughout the entire process. He provided a different perspective on cancer related concerns, support for a friend in need, and strength from someone who went through something similar. Sanders enthusiasm and gratitude for Moss’ consistency was noticeable on Monday. While he appreciated all the support from his family and friends, something about his exchanges with Moss seemed to carry a certain amount of weight.

“Randy Moss... Man. I love him to life," Sanders said. "Love him more than ever. I pray, he tells me he’s coming to a game this year. I pray that, but he gave me so much strength and so much guidance, and so much love and appreciation. Thank you Randy. I appreciate you, I really do.”

Sometime it has to be dark to see who's really with you. In the case of Moss, he stayed connected to Sanders with devotion and much-needed strength. As Coach Prime prepare for his third season in Boulder, he'll no doubt keep in mind the ones who were with him during his struggles.