BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders will undergo a four-hour surgical procedure on Tuesday at UCHealth amid ongoing health issues, including blood clot concerns.
The 58-year-old Colorado coach told reporters Sunday that he believes he has more blood clots in his leg, and he had a doctor's appointment Monday to see about the issue.
“And I trust God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind, so I'm going to go in there and I'm going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery's going to be,” Sanders said Tuesday during his weekly press conference.
The surgery is called an aspiration thrombectomy, which involves the left popliteal — located behind the knee — and tibial arteries.
Sanders, who appeared to be in good spirits Tuesday, said he expects to be back at practice Wednesday. He said the amount of time he’s putting into coaching is not impacting his health.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame player spent time away from the Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer.
His doctor said before the season that he had been cured of that. It was also revealed that a section of Sanders’ intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder.
Sanders has struggled with his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while at Jackson State.
He also missed Pac-12 media day in 2023, his first year at Colorado, after a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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