Jackson State HC Deion Sanders Had Surgery to Have 2 Toes Amputated After Foot Injury

Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders had to have the big toe and second toe on his left foot amputated after he developed three femoral arterial blood clots and required surgery. 

The procedure was detailed on his Coach Prime series (warning: graphic content). 

According to Scooby Axson of USA Today, Sanders' blood clots began in his calf but "ran the entire length of his leg and he developed compartment syndrome, which involves muscle pressure reaching levels that can limit the flow of blood and oxygen."

Sanders' mother told him she and other members of her family had been diagnosed with blood clots in the past and that it had resulted in multiple deaths.

"They were first talking about the amputation of toes, then the amputation of my leg from knee down, and then they were trying to ensure that I had life." Sanders said. "... It's been a long journey. I am on the road back. But I am here and I am thankful."

Sanders, 54, has transformed the Jackson State football program in his two years at the school. He's gone 15-5 overall and led the Tigers this past season to their first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 2007. 

And then, he and the Tigers shocked the college football recruiting world by signing the top overall player in the class of 2022, 5-star cornerback Travis Hunter. 

"His parents were so excited and elated when he made the decision," Sanders said on Good Morning America in February (h/t Khari Thompson of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger). "What he's done, he's changed the whole thought process of young collegiate athletes coming to HBCUs or just FCS schools in general."

Sanders has certainly contributed to changing that thought process as well.