One of the greatest players in Atlanta Falcons history is in peril. Pro Football Hall of Fame member Deion Sanders could lose his left foot.
Sanders had two toes amputated in 2021 because of circulation issues. His medical team at the University of Colorado explained to the football coach, in an 11-minute posted on YouTube, that Sanders could now lose his entire left foot because of his problems with circulation.
In the YouTube video, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ken Hunt, vascular surgeons Dr. Donald Jacobs and Dr. Max Wohlauer and athletic trainer Lauren Askevold met with Sanders to discuss what to do next.
“You just have to understand what the risks are. Things can cascade,” said Jacobs, who told Sanders he could lose the foot.
Sanders, who revealed he doesn’t have any feeling in the bottom of his left foot, asked for the procedure to be conducted before the start of the college football season.
“I want to do it this summer. Because when we get rolling, I’m not going to have time to do it,” Sanders said. “This is the best downtime I have.”
Nicknamed “Primetime” during his career, Sanders intercepted 53 passes and made first-team All-Pro six times during his 14-year NFL career. He began his career with the Falcons and didn’t play more seasons with any other team. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens.
In five seasons with the Falcons, Sanders made three Pro Bowls and received two first-team All-Pro nominations. He posted a career-best 7 interceptions during his final season with the Falcons in 1993.
Sanders won the Defensive Player of the Year award the following season with the 49ers.
Following his retirement, he became a sports analyst for CBS. He joined the coaching ranks as the head coach at Jackson State in 2020. Sanders led the program to its first undefeated regular season in 2022.
In December, he left Jackson State to become the head coach at Colorado.
Sanders’ arrival in Boulder has created a buzz. Colorado sold out its spring game in April and has already sold out all of its home regular season games for the first time in almost 30 years.
On September 2, Colorado will face TCU in Sanders’ Big 12 coaching debut.
