BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado coach Deion Sanders disclosed Monday that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer but after surgery his oncologist has considered him cured, so he plans to coach this season.

Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center/UCHealth University of Colorado hospital, said Sanders had his bladder removed as part of the surgical plan.

“It was dynamic. It was tough. It wasn’t a cakewalk. It wasn’t easy,” said Sanders, who arrived to his news conference wearing a cowboy hat and overalls along with sunglasses, which he removed after getting choked up. “That was a fight, but we made it.”

Sanders, who turns 58 next month, has drawn headlines for his health, but the focus largely was on two toes he's had amputated and concerns over blood clots. He said he’s had 14 surgeries since 2021, when he was still the coach at Jackson State, but kept his cancer fight private.

Sanders spoke on the eve of fall camp as he enters his third season overseeing the Buffaloes. He brought his medical team with him to discuss his diagnosis. It was revealed that a section of his intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder. He won't need radiation or chemotherapy, Kukreja said.

“The ‘C’ word, when we hear that word there’s normally a life sentence attached to it,” Sanders said. “But not this time. But not this time.”

Sanders said he lost about 25 pounds, leading him to joke, “I was like Atlanta Falcons Prime at one point.”

He later added: “I truly depend on Depend, if you know what I mean. I can’t control my bladder. ... Let’s not be ashamed of it. Let’s deal with it head on."

Just Sanders being Sanders — he remained upbeat throughout the entire process, his medical team said.

“He never folded one time and never wavered,” team trainer Lauren Askevold said. “You couldn’t ask for a better patient because he wants to get up and get going right away. ... It’s been a hectic journey. It’s been a lot. But there’s a blessing in disguise with all of this.”

Never once did Sanders waver in his belief that he would return to the sideline.

“I always knew I was going to coach again. It was never in my spirit, in my heart, that God wouldn’t allow me to coach again,” he said. “I just didn’t want to be running down to the hospital once a week when I have all of this on my plate. I don’t want that. I was like, ‘OK, can they bring one of those machines and put them in the office?’”

Athletic director Rick George echoed Sanders.

“He’s so positive, and he said he’d be back,” George said. “I had every confidence that he would be.”

While he dealt with the cancer diagnosis, Sanders said he had plenty of friends and family check in on him. Among those who reached out was fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who took a leave of absence from ESPN in early December after having surgery for his cancer.

“Randy Moss called me every other day to make sure I was straight,” Sanders said. “Randy Moss prayed for me — he and his wife. Told me what I needed to be doing.”

Sanders repeatedly stressed the importance of early detection. His cancer was discovered when he went for an annual CT scan as a precaution given his history with blood clots.

“We’re lucky to have found it at this stage where I could say the word cure,” Kukreja said, “because I don’t use that word lightly as a cancer doctor.”

The charismatic coach missed football camps in Boulder this summer amid reports that he’s been ill. He returned to campus last week and announced on social media, “Back and Feeling Great!”

On Sunday, the production crew of “Well Off Media,” which chronicles Sanders and the Buffaloes, posted a video on YouTube of the coach’s first meeting with the team. Included is a scene dated May 9 in which Sanders said: “I don’t know if I’m ready mentally, emotionally. Last night was tough, yesterday was tough, because I had to make a will. That’s not easy at all, to think that you may not be here.”

Sanders used humor Monday to talk about drafting a will, saying it was a chance to rank his kids. Jokes aside, he added: "You don’t want to be a fool and leave and not have your business affairs in order.”

Sanders has dealt with other health issues. Several of them have involved his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while he was coaching at Jackson State. He missed Colorado's media day in 2023, his inaugural year, after a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.

In March, Sanders signed a contract extension through the 2029 season.

The Buffaloes kick off the season on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech at Folsom Field. It will be the first season in quite some time that he hasn’t coached one of his sons. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns while Shilo, a safety, is in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes went 4-8 in his first season and 9-4 last season, with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. They have big shoes to fill in replacing Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

“I never look down. I'm always looking up and I'm always trying to go get it," Deion Sanders said. “I want to be the best Prime I can be for everybody. For everybody.”

Rockies pitcher Biembenido Brito and free agent outfielder Pablo Abad suspended for drug tests

NEW YORK (AP) — Colorado Rockies minor league pitcher Biembenido Brito was suspended for 60 games and free agent outfielder Pablo Abad for 56 on Monday by Major League Baseball following positive tests for performance-enhancing substances.

Brito tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol and for Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic and masking agent. He was disciplined under the minor league drug program, the commissioner's office said.

Abad tested positive for Stanozolol and was penalized under the drug program for minor league players assigned outside the U.S. and Canada.

Brito, a 22-year-old right-hander, agreed to a minor league contract with Texas in 2021 that included a $10,000 signing bonus. He was released by the Rangers in July 2024 and signed with the Rockies on May 23.

He was 1-2 with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts and nine relief appearances for the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rockies, striking out 38 and walking 18 in 33 1/3 innings. Brito is 6-7 with a 5.94 ERA in 19 starts and 31 relief appearances over parts of four minor league seasons.

Abad, 19, signed with Cincinnati in June 2023 for a $10,000 bonus and was released last November. He hit .121 with one homer and six RBIs in 36 games over two seasons in the Dominican Summer League.

Abad's suspension will start when he signs with a major league organization.

Eleven players have been suspended this year for positive tests, including nine under minor league programs. Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games on March 31 and Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado for 80 games on May 25 under the major league program.

Receiver Courtland Sutton agrees to 4-year, $92 million extension with Broncos, AP source says

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has reached agreement on a four-year, $92 million extension, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the deal that runs through the 2029 season and averages $23 million and includes $41 million in guarantees.

Sutton has had his best two seasons of his eight-year NFL career under coach Sean Payton, who arrived in Denver in 2023. Sutton caught a career-best 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns last season, his first 1,000-yard campaign since 2019. He had a career-high 10 TD catches the year before.

Sutton, who turns 30 this season, will earn an average of $23 million in his new deal, much more in line with upper-echelon wide receivers across the NFL. His last deal included a $14 million salary for its final year in 2025.

Sutton has been a limited participant in training camp as his agency and the Broncos negotiated the new contract.

After the team's first full-padded practice Monday, Payton said, “Well, he's gotten reps. He's gotten limited reps. And I think we're ... real close on the contract.”

Payton expressed no concern that Sutton hasn't had his full complement of snaps so far with second-year quarterback Bo Nix.

“Not with a veteran like Courtland,” Payton said. "He's real smart. Here's the deal, he's been participating in all the individual, all the 1-on-1, he's gotten 7-on-7 work, he's gotten team reps. He's just being smart. It would be different if you felt like he was missing improvement or not being out here or just being out here riding the bike or something. I kind of know that player well enough to feel real good about where he's at and his mindset, both mentally and physically.”

Other veterans who are angling for new deals this summer include defensive lineman Zach Allen and rising star linebacker Nik Bonitto.

Notes: Payton said ILB Drew Sanders will be out an estimated six weeks after tearing a ligament in his right foot at practice Saturday. “The news for us was good news in that it's a ligament in his foot and not a tendon,” Payton said. “The ligament repair is a much easier one than that of a tendon.” Payton said Sanders hasn't decided yet whether to have surgery or let the ligament heal on its own. Sanders missed most of last season after tearing his left Achilles tendon in the offseason.