Football Legend Shares Emotional Update After Amputation
The NFL Hall of Famer revealed the life-changing “blessing” he received on social media.
John Biever/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
National Football League Hall of Famer cornerback Deion Sanders has received new toes four years after undergoing amputation.
The Colorado Buffaloes head coach, 59, had surgery in September 2021 for a dislocated toe and an inflamed nerve. During his recovery, Sanders’s big toe and second toe of his left foot turned black, and doctors discovered three life-threatening blood clots. He had the two toes amputated in 2022.
On Sept. 16, one of his five children, Deion Sanders Jr., posted a video of Sanders receiving two new toes on X.
Deion Sanders playing for the Dallas Cowboys against the San Francisco 49ers in 1996.
USA TODAY Sports/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the video, Sanders was handed a white box holding his new prosthetic, which he joked was “wrapped up like they’re a gift.”
Deion Sanders was thrilled with his new toes. Pictured here in September 2026.
Ron Chenoy/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
His first reaction was visible amazement. “That’s a nice toenail,” he said, looking at the prosthetic. He turned it around and added, “That’s nice.”
He put the prosthetic on and exclaimed, “I’m 10 toes down again!”
Deion Sanders was excited to wear his shoes again, although he admitted his toes needed to get used to his new prosthetic. Pictured here in Boulder, Colorado, in September 2026.
Ron Chenoy/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sanders—the only person in history to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, having played outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in 1992—admitted he needed more practice walking with the new prosthetic.
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“I feel like it’s dragging,” he said while taking his first steps, joking that his toes and the new ones “haven’t made friends yet.”
Deion Sanders is the only person in history to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Pictured here playing for the San Francisco Giants as an outfielder in 1995.
USA TODAY Sports/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sanders was excited to be back to his own shoe size of 11.5 after feeling that his shoe was “sagging” without his two toes.
A healthcare worker assisting Sanders explained that the new toes would help his other toes not “collapse” to the right and avoid friction and blisters.
It’s Official pic.twitter.com/7bsWKyN39x
— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) September 17, 2026
“I want to thank them all involved,” Sanders said. “It’s a blessing.” He also admired the color match, but joked that his toes were not yet happy with the newcomers.
“It’s sort of like a dorm room, and there’s five people in the dorm now, instead of three,” he joked. “There’s two new people in, and they don’t really get along together.”
Karrueche Tran showed Deion Sanders’s new toes on Instagram.
Instagram/Karrueche Tran
Sanders was pointing especially at his middle toe, which pushed against the new prosthetic toes, almost lifting on top of them.
“Well, that’s another surgery,” he said. “‘Cause they got to straighten him out.”
A day after the video was posted, his new feet were on full display on his girlfriend, Karrueche Tran’s, 38, Instagram stories.
Deion Sanders has been romantically linked to actress Karrueche Tran since summer 2025. Tran is pictured here in October 2024 at Variety’s Power of Women event in Los Angeles, California.
Etienne Laurent/REUTERS
After retiring from his NFL career, during which he won the Super Bowl twice, in 1994 with the San Francisco 49ers and 1995 with the Dallas Cowboys, Sanders faced multiple serious health concerns.
In 2025, Sanders revealed he was diagnosed with a bladder tumor. He underwent a bladder removal and reconstruction before announcing he was “cancer-free” in late June 2026.
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