Renck: CU’s Deion Sanders is in public position, fighting private health battle. He says he’s good. Is that good enough?

Deion Sanders is more concerned about the vitality of college football than his own condition The CU Buffs coach arrived at Big media days in Frisco Texas after going virtually unseen since April as he dealt with unspecified healthcare issues It prevented him from attending youth and high school camps last month even though they are part of his employment conditions Inquired about his fitness Wednesday Sanders offered no insight I am not here to talk about my wellness I am here to talk about my group Sanders explained Wednesday I am living good I am living lovely God has truly lucky me Sanders only acknowledgement of his newest battles came during his opening comment when he thanked Big commissioner Brett Yormark CU athletic director Rick George and conference coaches for checking in on him In June Deion Sanders Jr posted that his father was making progress And Coach Prime tweeted a month ago that everything is OKAY promising an update when he was back on campus George narrated The Athletic that he expects Sanders to return to Boulder in a week or two maybe Sanders operated Wednesday like someone ready to coach his third season at CU He missed the Pac- Media Days in to undergo crisis surgery for blood clots in his legs So this is not unfamiliar territory What little we know is unsettling a man who is as constituents as any college coach ever fighting a private vitality battle It is hard to have an opinion on something this personal other than you hope he is receiving the best care But how can we not He is the state s highest-paid employee so the questions are impossible to avoid Does Sanders need to take time off Does he need to be protected from himself after he admitted his goal this season is to win at all costs Again it s hard to know without more information Sanders is a polarizing figure But this has nothing to do with his style bravado or use of social media This is about the man not the legend His heath issues have been well documented including the amputation of two toes in Sanders stated on a May podcast with former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel that what I am dealing with now is a whole nother level while revealing that he had lost pounds Sanders has inevitably leaned on his faith family and friends in times of situation This is no different He deserves space But what should happen next My hope is that George and others Sanders trusts remain sounding boards providing advice Sanders is decades removed from being the best athlete along with Bo Jackson that specific of his age have ever seen He is invariably willing and ready for a fight His supporters love this But it would more comforting to know his body is up for it The challenge this season is unique Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is in Jacksonville His sons Shedeur and Shilo are in the NFL marking the first time he has coached without them I have thought about it I am going to love it Now I only have to be a coach I don t have to be a coach and a dad I don t have that dilemma It s going to be easier Sanders recounted ESPN later adding We are not as good individually but we are better collectively Sanders continues to recruit well using his model of grad transfers transfers and high school kids But he is unsure of his starting quarterback conceding that fifth-year transfer Kaidon Salter and true freshman Julian Lewis could both play as long as they are doing their jobs and we are winning Related Articles Rockies Mailbag Is Thad Levine the fix to Colorado s front office Renck vs Keeler Does Nuggets Jamal Murray have the worst contract in Colorado sports Renck Greatest season for Colorado pro sports is staring us in face save for Rockies of program Renck File Beautiful Lives Project s Field of Dreams day shows importance of inclusion Renck Nuggets Ben Tenzer Jon Wallace show Art of the Deal is not fiction And while he loves Boulder it is not invariably reciprocated when attracting and retaining players Urged to play commissioner during a coaches roundtable Sanders did not hold back He wants more regulation in college football to level the playing field forever a utopian idea in a sport where schools see themselves as adversaries and love to exploit loopholes and tattle on each other We have alumni we have boosters who are doing the best they darn could but sometimes they just can t compete with a few of the other powers And I wish it was truly equality They are trying to say that with a cap and collective bargaining whatever they call it It s equality but it s not Sanders reported Now they go back to doing stuff under the table go back to the agent You have parents trying to be the agent you have homeboys trying to be the agent you have friends trying to be the agent you ve got a lot of bull junk going on And quite frankly we are sick of it Nobody will say it So I will say it for everybody We are sick of it You are not going to fix it unless you listen to all these men with all this experience Sanders spoke like a leader Like a veteran coach He wants an NFL model with more parity He wants what s best for the competition But what matters bulk right now is his wellbeing and what is best for him Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams