Deion Sanders may need to have his foot amputated
Deion Sanders made news this week, not for a recruit he landed or words he exchanged with another coach, but because of something much more serious and profoundly personal.
The first-year Colorado head coach may have to have his left foot amputated, according to a conversation with a group of doctors at the university that was documented on “Thee Pregame Show,” a YouTube channel that has been documenting the Buffs’ program.
Sanders’ issues with his foot stem from circulation problems that have been plaguing him for years. In 2021, he had nine surgeries that resulted in the big toe and second toe on his left foot being amputated and part of that leg being removed, a set of procedures that kept him in the hospital for 23 days and forced him to miss three of Jackson State’s games that season. During that time, he lost 40 pounds. Even once he returned and in the years since, he has had to wheel himself around and be transported at times on a golf cart. When he does walk, it’s often with a noticeable limp.
Visually, there’s a cruel irony to it – one of the greatest athletes in modern American history unable to move in a traditional manner and unlikely to ever be able to run again.
In the 11-minute video, Sanders can be seen meeting with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ken Hunt, vascular surgeons Dr. Donald Jacobs and Dr. Max Wohlauer and athletic trainer Lauren Askevold to discuss the pain he has been enduring and the potential steps he can take to mitigate it.
If the pain in the dislocated toe on his foot doesn’t subside, it could lead to more serious complications that could make amputation necessary.
“You just have to understand what the risks are,” Jacobs said. “Things can cascade.”
Sanders revealed he has no feeling on the bottom of his left foot. Should surgery be required, he wants to get it taken care of as soon as possible so that it won’t interfere with his first season in Boulder.
Hunt explained to Sanders that there are three arteries that deliver blood to the foot, but given the former NFL star’s medical maladies over the years, he’s down to just one. Even the one working artery, Wohlauuer said, has a blood flow that’s down to 66%.
Scientifically speaking, Sanders had a femoral arterial blood clot and compartment syndrome going back to his playing days. Previously, it was thought Sanders’ entire leg might have to be amputated, but the then-Jackson State coach said he was willing to do whatever he could to prevent that from happening.