NFL legend Deion Sanders could lose his left foot after significant issues with blood flow worsened.
The Hall of Fame defensive back allowed a camera crew to record a recent appointment with doctors at the University of Colorado facility – where he is the head coach – and he was given the news that they may have to amputate his foot if the problems continue to progress.
“You just have to understand what the risks are. Things can cascade,” he was told by vascular surgeon Donald Jacobs in the video published on Sanders' YouTube channel. Dr. Jacobs then turned to Colorado athletic trainer Lauren Askevold and said: "He could lose the foot.”
Sanders, 55, has already had two toes amputated on his left foot and he was told by Max Wohlauer, another vascular surgeon, that the blood pressure in his leg has declined to just two-thirds of the blood pressure in his arm.
"Those arteries have shut down," he said to the former Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys star, who is heading into his first season as head coach of the Buffaloes.
And his coaching duties were on his mind when he contemplated the possibility of surgery to reduce the risk of losing his foot. “I want to do it this summer because when we get rolling, I’m not going to have time to do it,” Sanders told the doctors. “This is the best downtime I have.”
Foot issues have plagued "Prime" since his retirement from the NFL, missing three games of the 2021 season when he was in charge at Jackson State due to complications from surgery.
Sanders' arrival at Colorado has made a huge impact on a programme that went 1-11 last season. Ticket sales have grown dramatically, with a crowd in excess of 45,000 people attending the Buffaloes' spring game in April, more than the past nine spring games combined.
This is all before a single competitive game in charge and he is determined not to let his players down by tieing up his medical issues before the trip to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs for the season-opener on September 2. Sanders went an impressive 27-6 in three seasons in charge of Jackson State, transforming the programme's fortunes after winning just 18 games in the previous five years.
His reputation and charisma have been a big boost to the school's recruiting efforts, with top recruit Travis Hunter following him to Boulder. Sanders has also secured the top cornerback in the 2023 high school class, Cormani McClain, to join him at Colorado, delivering a big boost to hopes that the team will be dramatically improved this season.
