Deion Sanders made a surprising announcement while talking about his health. While appearing on the Coach Prime series, produced by SMAC Entertainment and Barstool Sports, Sanders said he had surgery to amputate two toes on his left foot following a bout with three life-threatening blood clots. The NFL legend and Jackson State football head coach had to stay at a Mississippi hospital for three weeks and spent the later part of the 2021 season in a wheelchair.
“The hardest thing of it all was to look down there and see that, and understand that once upon a time, you were this type of athlete,” Sanders said, per Sports Illustrated. “And you don’t even know if you’re gonna walk because all you feel is pain, and you just want to get out of this hospital. You just want to get out.” Sanders’ blood clot diagnosis led to the revelation that blood cots run in the family. He had his big and second toe amputated on his left foot, and there was a chance his left leg below the knee could have been amputated.
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This news comes after Sanders led Jackson State to an 11-2 record and SWAC Championship. The Tigers played in the Celebration Bowl, which is the Black College National Championship and lost to South Carolina State 31-10. But Sanders won the Eddie Robinson Award which is given to the season’s top Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) coach.
“I think many great players — and I’m not being arrogant whatever — are coaches at their perspective level,” Sanders told PopCulture exclusively in December. “When I was in Florida State, the way I led was somewhat coaching. When I was in the NFL, the way I led was somewhat coaching. So I would take guys to keep them after practice to make sure we worked on some of the necessities of life. I would take guys to teach them how to watch film so they could migrate to yet another level.
“When I played the game, I would teach them lifestyle. I’d take it over other young men’s finances to make sure they had money soon thereafter they retired. And even when they played and took care of their home responsibility, paid their insurance and paid their car payments. I’ve done some tremendous things.”
