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Deion Sanders shares struggle after 2 toes amputated: ‘Lost a couple soldiers’

By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

NFL Hall of Famer and Jackson State University head football coach Deion Sanders had two toes on his left foot amputated after suffering blood clot complications from a prior surgery.

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Sanders shared the amputation news in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday.

“I told y’all we were gonna show it all in this documentary and that’s what this is. I got to warn ya This ain’t a pretty sight! I may have lost a couple soldiers in the battle but I never lost my faith in God! I endured a lot while I was in the hospital during our historic season but I am so thankful for GOD being there to help pull me through. I am so thankful for those who sent messages of faith and those who visited me during this troubling time,” Sanders wrote.

According to ESPN, Sanders revealed the severity of his foot injury in an episode of his “Coach Prime” documentary series, airing Tuesday night on Barstool Sports.

Sanders, 54, played defensive back in the NFL for 14 seasons, representing the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens at different points throughout his career. He also spent nine seasons as a MLB outfielder, playing for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.

Sanders, who was hospitalized for about a month in the middle of the 2021 college football season, led the Jackson State Tigers to an 11-2 finish, ESPN reported.

According to the sports news network, Sanders underwent multiple surgeries and developed a femoral arterial blood clot, as well as compartment syndrome, which meant his leg swelled. The swelling required doctors to flay open his leg to drain fluid, but the damage already endured required the amputation of the big toe and second toe on his left foot.

“The hardest thing of it all, was to look down there and understand once upon a time, you were this kind of athlete, and now you don’t even know if you’re going to walk… because all you feel is pain, and you just want to get out of this hospital,” he said during Tuesday’s episode, KTVT reported.

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Deion Sanders Former Atlanta Falcon player Deion Sanders is seen on the sidelines before an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) (John Bazemore/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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