After undergoing surgery in September, Deion Sanders returned to the sidelines to guide the Jackson State Tigers to an 11-2 record and Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
Just recently, the NFL hall of fame player opened up about his health and everything he has gone through over the past few months.
Earlier this month, he revealed he underwent surgery last fall to remove two toes on his left foot. Surgeons amputated the big toe and second toe on his left foot after he was hospitalized for blood clots stemming from a previous operation.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer and Jackson State head coach told Rich Eisen that he’s “not high-stepping yet.”
He added just how much weight he loss and gained back during his recovery.
“I’m moving slowly but surely and I’m moving briskly,” Sanders said. “I really am. I’m on my elliptical again because I had lost like 40 pounds, Rich. When I was in the hospital, I lost 40 pounds. I was eating nothing but apple sauce. I lost 40 pounds, but I gained 50 back. Now I can’t fit in my suit, so I’ve gotta cut down.”
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The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year winner kept his health issues hidden because he didn’t want to “play the plum card, poor little old me.”
“My kids told me it was looked like a shark bit me on both sides of my leg. I don’t think you’ll see me in shorts soon at any time… I promise you. But I’m better. But it was a lot going on last season. You know what, that’s the best secret that I think we ever kept in life.”
According to the Associated Press, doctors initially feared that he might lose his leg.
“They were talking about the amputation of toes,” Sanders said, per AP. “Then they were talking about the amputation of my leg from the knee down. Then, they were trying to ensure I had life.”
Sanders finished the season with the team during an 11-2 campaign that ended in the Cricket Celebration Bowl in December.
