Coach Colorado Deion Sanders returned to Buffalo football practice Wednesday — just as Coach Prime said 24 hours ago when he announced he would undergo a surgical procedure later that day to address blood clot problems.
Video posted by his eldest son Deion Sanders Jr. on his YouTube channel “Well Off Media.” Wednesday begins with a clip of Sanders going into surgery. Then, after indicating a 16-hour time jump, the video shows Sanders walking quickly, albeit a little cautiously, through Buffalo's indoor practice facility. They offer him a cart, but he apparently refuses.
Much of the rest of the eight-minute video shows clips from the team's practices. Sanders continues to move, and his gait becomes increasingly difficult as his training continues. Sanders is nowhere to be seen at the end of practice while another coach addresses the players.
A Colorado football spokesman told The Times on Wednesday afternoon that the team expects Sanders to coach Buffalo on Saturday during their home game against No. 22 Iowa State.
No other information about Sanders' surgery or condition has been released.
During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Sanders said he would undergo a surgical procedure called an aspiration thrombectomy later that day, which involves the left popliteal (located behind the knee) and tibial arteries. He said the operation could take several hours.
“I’ll be fine,” Sanders said. “Prayerfully, I'll be back tomorrow because I don't miss training. I don't plan on doing that.”
On Saturday, Sanders could be seen sitting or limping on the Buffalo sideline during Colorado's 35-21 loss to Texas Christian. He didn't wear a shoe on his left foot in the second half and told reporters afterward that he was “hurting like crazy.”
“I think I have more blood clots,” said Sanders, who had two toes on his left foot amputated in 2021 due to blood clot problems and had a blood clot removed from his right foot in 2023. “There's no blood flowing into my leg. That's why my leg is throbbing.”
The surgical procedure is said to be Sanders' 16th in three years. He told reporters Tuesday that his battle with blood clots is hereditary.
This summer Sanders it was revealed that his bladder had been removed in May due to a cancerous tumor.
Janet KukrejaSanders' doctor at the University of Colorado Cancer Center told reporters at the same news conference that part of Sanders' bowel had been reconstructed to function as a bladder and that the procedure was successful. She added that Sanders will not require radiation or chemotherapy.
Sanders was a superstar NFL quarterback, playing for five teams over 14 years and winning two Super Bowls (with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys). The 1994 Defensive Player of the Year was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
As Jackson State's coach from 2020 to 2022, Sanders led the Tigers to two Southwestern Athletic Conference titles and was named SWAC Coach of the Year twice. He is in his third season in Colorado, where he coached the 2024 Heisman Trophy-winning stars. Travis Hunter (now with the Jacksonville Jaguars) and son Sheader Sanders (currently with the Cleveland Browns).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
