Deion Sanders Nearly Brought to Tears by Gesture of Colorado Player

Deion Sanders Nearly Brought to Tears by Gesture of Colorado Player originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Heading into his third season as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, the biggest change for Deion Sanders is that he will no longer be coaching his sons, Shedeur (quarterback) and Shilo Sanders (safety).

While this means he will no longer be able to watch them play up close and personal as Shedeur battles for a spot on the Cleveland Browns and Shilo looks to stick on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster as an undrafted free agent, it also means his weekly tradition with his now-former quarterback has ended.

Before every game, Sanders would walk the sidelines with Shedeur, explaining that it would feature a moment as father and son and end with a moment as coach and quarterback.

"We've been doing this for a long time, for years," Sanders said. "So when we go down from the 40 to the goal line, I'm Dad. You know I'm making sure he's straight, how's he feeling all that. I'm the father. When we touch that goal line and come back I'm the coach.

"'Now this is what I want," Sanders said. "Protect the football. ... No late throws down the middle of the field. Get everybody involved. Keep your line energized and take care of yourself; don't do nothing stupid. Don't run. If you run, slide because we need you. Then it always ends with let 'em know. I want them to know our last name before we walk off this darn field.'"

Colorado Player Offers to Continue the Walk with Deion Sanders

As revealed on "Say What Needs to be Said" with Asante Samuel, Sanders expressed that he nearly cried after a current player offered to keep the tradition alive.

"Let me tell you something, this is a great question and I thank you for it," Sanders said. "One of my kids, I'm not gonna say who it was came to me the other day. ... He said, 'You know that walk you did with Shedeur and Shilo?' He said, 'You know we still gonna walk right?' I said 'Boy you tryna make me cry man.' I said 'Man go. You tryna make me cry.'

"Do you understand how that feels for one of your kids on the team is cognizant enough to know that?" Sanders said.

New Challenges in 2025 for Deion Sanders

Aside from adapting to life without his sons on campus, Sanders is also recovering from his offseason battle with bladder cancer.

On Monday, Sanders faced the media at the Touchdown Club at the Dal Ward Athletic Center in Boulder and revealed that he was diagnosed with and cured of bladder cancer over the past few months. It was a bombshell and even his sons, whom he revealed he didn't tell so they could focus on their journey at the NFL level.

"This was not an easy task," Sanders said via ESPN. "It was dynamic. It was tough. It wasn't a cakewalk. It wasn't easy," said Sanders, who added that he lost about 25 pounds. "That was a fight, but we made it."

What's Next for Deion Sanders

While it's unclear if he will want to continue the walk, Sanders and the Buffs open their 2025 season against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29.

In terms of his health, Sanders did admit that his restroom situation has changed as a result of his 14th surgery since 2021, and there may be a port-a-potty on the sideline as he is unable to control his bladder as easily.

Regardless, Sanders clearly has a plethora of support from the fans and players heading into 2025, as he and Colorado look to build off of a 9-4 season last year.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.