E-Paper
Deion Sanders mystery illness: What happened to Colorado coach? First hints here
Colorado head coach and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders is expected to provide clarity on his health condition in a press conference today.
Colorado head coach and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders is going to address the public in a press conference on Monday, July 28, and is expected to provide some clarity on his health. This comes after long ongoing speculations about his health.
However, Deion has not opened up yet, on the issues, but has said he is ‘back’ at work. “I'm already back. I'm here today. I'm handling my responsibilities. So, I look forward to it. I can't wait. You've got to understand, some of the young [players] I haven't even met yet. I'm so excited about that,” he had said.
Despite Sanders' silence, there are some hints about what could be ailing the legendary footballer.
Deion Sanders health issues
A hint about Sanders' health issues can be gleaned from a video where Shelomi Sanders, 21, Deion's youngest child, convinces the NFL star to get into an ice bath.
Deion gets in, and stays for around 30 seconds before jumping out and asking his daughter to get the ‘toe covers’.
“You know I'm still going through something,” Deion is heard saying, as he adds “I aint all the way recovered.”
Also Read | 49ers embrace youth movement with potential influx of rookies in starting lineup
For those tracking Sanders' health struggles, the Hall of Famer had 10 surgeries done on his left leg as of June 2023. It was reported then that he had more procedures slated to take place.
Doctors had already cut out both sides of his calf and two of his toes were amputated in 2021. A ‘really bad’ blood clot in his thigh was removed in 2023, along with smaller clots below his knee.
Sanders had earlier shared that his family has a history of blood clots, including an uncle who died of the condition. Sanders claimed he himself nearly died when he spent 23 days fighting the issue.
What is Sanders' health problem?
At the time, doctors had diagnosed Sanders' problem had to do with blood circulation in his arteries. Sanders himself has described his issues as blood clots, which narrow or restrict the flow of blood through arteries.
“The arteries take oxygenated blood from the heart and deliver it to the tissues, so if the conduit to get to the tissue is blocked, you lose the blood supply, and that portion below where that clot is will die from not getting enough oxygen,” said Robert Brodsky, president of the American Society of Hematology and professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University.
Sanders' problems started in 2021, when he was the head coach at Jackson State in Mississippi. He had undergone surgery to repair an inflamed nerve, and dislocated toe on his left foot. These are all injuries that stemmed from his NFL career. Around two weeks after the procedures, his athletic trainer urged him to get medical help on seeing two of his toes had turned unusually dark.
This is when doctors said he had femoral arterial blood clots, leading to compartment syndrome, and an additional round of surgeries and amputation.
At the time, Sanders had shared he was taking blood thinners and other medication, but had no feeling at the bottom of the affected foot. Walking with a limp, Sanders also noted that two of his toes were abnormally bent hammertoes, which he wanted to ‘straighten out’ with more procedures.
A doctor shared that normally there are three arteries bringing blood to one's foot, but in Sanders' case, after procedures, it came down to just one – causing problems. Another doctor shared that Sanders had ‘clotting from an aneurysm’. These can happen in the leg and create enlarged blood vessels.
While it remains unknown if Sanders' recent health scare pertains to this, his remark on toes might very well hint at the old ailment returning to plague the legend again.
