Sean McDermott's Skin Cancer Journey: From Diagnosis to Advocacy

Sean McDermott, professional American Football coach, first revealed in 2021 that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer. McDermott, aged 52, had served as the head coach for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL from 2017 to early 2026.

McDermott started his coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001. While he started out as the scouting coordinator with the Eagles, he was promoted to be part of the coaching staff. He eventually took over as the defensive coordinator for the Eagles in 2009, before he was fired in 2010.

After losing his job, McDermott joined the Carolina Panthers as a defensive coordinator in 2011 and helped the Panthers to a breakout season in 2013. For his impressive work with the Panthers, he was scouted by the Buffalo Bills and appointed as their head coach in 2017. Under his coaching, the Bills managed to return to the playoffs in 2019. However, with the Bills not having reached the Super Bowl, McDermott was eventually fired in early 2026.

However, at one point in his illustrious career, McDermott was battling skin cancer. In 2021, McDermott revealed in an interview with TODAY that he had “squamous cell carcinoma several times” and had been diagnosed with basal cell cancer as well.

McDermott has a family history of skin cancer, with his grandfather having it on his lip. As a result, he had been going for regular visits to a dermatologist.

“I started going to the dermatologist well before any of my friends. My mom and dad made me go in my 20s. I used to go three or four times a year if anything came up. If I saw something that looked a little mysterious, I’d make an appointment,” McDermott shared. “I have a really good relationship with my current dermatologist, so I just can take a picture of something, send it to him and he'll basically say, ‘I need to see you.’ So it's almost like a daily appointment for me if I need it.”

McDermott has had to have multiple spots removed. “I've lost track of how many spots exactly I’ve had taken off and it's a small victory when I go to the dermatologist and I don't have one biopsied — just frozen off with cryotherapy. They’re mostly on my head and neck, ears, but also a couple on an arm, top of my hand or the back of my leg,” he shared.

He added that he also underwent Mohs surgery on his nose in 2017. Mohs surgery is a common treatment method used to treat skin cancer.

“When I was sitting there and the doctor was pulling skin off my nose, I'm like, ‘Now I remember why I should have worn sunblock.’ Even though it was not painful, it's just not a good feeling. It took a handful of weeks for it to really heal. I have a small scar on my nose now,” he added.

The influence of personal loss on his advocacy work

After being diagnosed with skin cancer, McDermott has been actively raising awareness about skin cancer. He has also seen people close to him affected by skin cancer, which further fuelled his drive to advocate for skin cancer awareness.

“I've had two mentors who have been directly affected by skin cancer: Jim Johnson, the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, who died in 2009 after battling melanoma; and Ron Rivera, head coach of the Washington Football Team, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma last year,” he shared.

He added that this served as “a reminder about wearing sun-protective clothing and sunblock”.

Advocating for dermatology visits and sun protection

In an interview with the Skin Cancer Foundation, he shared about the importance of visiting a dermatologist. “A lot of people think that it may not be convenient to go to the dermatologist, or manly for men. I'm sure some males think, ‘Hey, it's only for females, for looks and cosmetic reasons.’ But it's for a lot more other things, in addition to just cosmetic. It's something that you should schedule. You’ve just got to make it a habit, muscle memory, to where it's just part of what you do, just like your yearly physical. You make once- or twice-a-year appointments. That routine is important just because you never know,” he said.

McDermott has also been actively advocating for people to use sunblock. He shared that when he was a child, he “probably had more unprotected sun exposure than my mom wanted me to”. He constantly fought against the use of sunblock as “it wasn’t pleasant”. Now, he tries his best to ensure that he is well-protected from the harmful UV rays.

“I wear long-sleeve shirts with sun protection in them, sun-protective long pants and a wide-brimmed hat. I also wear sunscreen with an SPF of above 50. I keep a hat in my car because I never know when I'm going to get caught outside going to my children’s sporting events or playing golf. I always want to be prepared and I'm always trying to err on the side of caution,” he shared.