Colorado coach Deion Sanders is undergoing surgery for blood clots but does not expect to miss Saturday’s game.
Sanders stated his health issues are hereditary and not related to his work demands.
Sanders’ contract includes a disability provision that could lead to termination if he is unable to perform his job’s essential functions.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday he is undergoing a four-hour surgery that day to address blood clots in his lower body but hoped to return to football practice the next day and didn’t expect to miss Saturday’s game against Iowa State in Boulder.
‘We found what we found,’ Sanders said at a news conference Tuesday in Boulder. ‘We knew what it was.’
Sanders dismissed any notion he needs to ‘slow down’ because of his health issues. His team is 2-4 this season.
‘It has nothing to do with me working in the level that I’m trying to compete at,’ Sanders said. ‘It’s hereditary. It is what it is.’
Sanders, 58, said he was “hurting like crazy” during his team’s 35-21 loss at TCU on Saturday, Oct. 4. He was seen on the sidelines sitting down and wearing only one shoe.
He said afterward he suspected blood clots had returned in his leg after undergoing surgery in 2023 to remove similar clots in his lower body.
What type of surgery is Deion Sanders undergoing?
The school confirmed Sanders was undergoing an aspiration thrombectomy for the left popliteal and tibial arteries. That means blood clots are being removed from his left leg, which is already missing two toes and much of his calf. His Instagram account showed him at the hospital with his son Deion Jr. and former NFL cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones.
“I’m gonna go in there, and I’m gonna get some of the best sleep in the world for I think, four hours the surgery’s gonna be,” Sanders said.
He previously said blood clots were an issue in his family. His said his mother told him one uncle died from such complications, another one almost did and that his mother also had issues with it.
“I cannot wait to go get past this hurdle,” Sanders said Tuesday. “But thank you for your well wishes, for your sentiments, everybody out there.”
He has a history of blood-circulation issues, dating to 2021, when he was coach at Jackson State. At one point he missed three games that season while he stayed in the hospital and nearly died. He suffered from compartment syndrome and ended up having two toes amputated from his left foot. Parts of his left calf also were removed before he returned to the sideline in a motorized wheelchair.
In May, he also had his bladder removed after a cancerous tumor was discovered during a medical appointment related to these vascular issues. He since has had to adjust to lifestyle changes because of that, including wearing Depend adult diapers.
What does Deion Sanders’ contract say about health issues?
Sanders agreed to a new contract in March that pays him at least $10 million annually.
It has a disability provision:
“If after engaging in the interactive process with the University’s Center for Disability & Access, Coach is deemed unable to perform the essential functions of his job with or without reasonable accommodation, this Agreement will automatically terminate, and Sanders’ salary and all other benefits shall end in the month of such termination notice.”
If he decided to retire from coaching, it says he wouldn’t have to pay liquidated damages to the university to buy out his contract. But he would owe some damages if he retired and then changed his mind to coach somewhere else.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com