University of Colorado football coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders says he plans to undergo surgery to improve his blood flow and eliminate the possibility of amputating his left foot.
Sanders, who already has had two toes amputated, said last week that he has no feeling in the bottom of his foot because of circulation issues. An ultrasound scan revealed that previously opened arteries had closed, according to his medical team.
Concerns about a possible amputation grew after a meeting posted on YouTube for "Thee Pregame Show" discussed Sanders' options and included a doctor who warned he might lose his foot.
In a YouTube video Thursday, Sanders thanked fans for their concern and love and clarified that his doctors are performing surgery that will keep his foot intact.
"I have two clots ... one in my right leg, one in my left leg, which is my thighs," Sanders said. "OK, so now I'm having a procedure tomorrow to try to get those clots so now I can have proper blood flow to the leg so they can fix the toes."
Sanders said that the doctors want to fix his hammer toes, a deformity that causes a bend in toes' middle joints, but that there's not enough blood flow for the operation.
"There is no talk of amputation," Sanders said Thursday. "There's no talk of any of that whatsoever. The doctor was just telling me worse come to worst, this was going to happen. But I believe in staying right so we never have to take that left."
