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Deion Sanders’ bodyguard said the NFL legend receives about five death threats a day, according to a YouTube video posted Friday by Sanders’ eldest son, Deion Jr.
The bodyguard, Michael Rhodes, told the University of Colorado football players Sanders coaches to “be mindful” of who they let into team facilities.
“I’m Officer Rhodes. I’m head of security for Coach Prime,” Rhodes told the team.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
“Real quick, I want to say this. Those of y’all that are new, when y’all head up to the facilities in the morning, be mindful of who comes in with you, especially on the elevator. Don’t let somebody coerce you into scanning them up on the floor, because everybody’s trying to get to Coach Prime. Those people that are trying to get to them, not all of them have good intentions. So just be mindful of that, don’t prop open any doors, because my philosophy is, if the doors open, they will come through. Then they’re gonna have to meet me.”
Sanders then cited being a “Black man” for his constant death threats.
“We get death threats all the time,” Sanders said. “Why? I’m a Black man making it happen, making things move, making all that happen. So we have stuff that’s real.”
Sanders then asked Rhodes, “How many death threats we get?”
“About five every day,” Rhodes said.
Sanders’ life and wellbeing has been a topic of concern over the last year.
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Head coach Deion Sanders of the University of Colorado speaks about his journey beating bladder cancer during a press conference in the Touchdown Club at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on Monday, July 28, 2025. (AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Last June, reports surfaced that the Pro Football Hall of Famer was sidelined with an unspecified illness.
In July, Sanders revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer. During a news conference with his doctors, Sanders shared that a portion of his intestine had been surgically reconstructed to function as a bladder.
Following his bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment, Sanders frequently needed to use the restroom, so the school introduced a portable sideline bathroom for him during games.
Then, during a postgame press conference in October, Sanders predicted he was facing more blood clots after previously being impacted by them.
“Cat’s out of the bag, all right. I think I’ve got more blood clots,” Sanders said. “It don’t make sense. I’m hurting like crazy… I’m not getting blood to my leg. That’s why my leg is throbbing.”
The blood clot issue resulted in the amputation of two toes on his left foot in 2021. Sanders was coaching at Jackson State at the time. In 2023, the two-time Super Bowl champion missed Pac-12 media day to address a blood clot in his right leg and another surgery to correct curved toes on his left foot.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
“I’m going to go in there [surgery], and I’m going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery is going to be,” Sanders said Tuesday.
“I’ve never been high a day in my life. I’ve never drank, smoked or anything. But when I get those surgeries, I am there on time.”
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