Stress doesn’t show up on a stat sheet, but it always reveals itself over time. For Deion Sanders, the pressure of leading programs, rebuilding cultures, and carrying expectations has come with a physical toll that’s been impossible to ignore.

That reality surfaced unexpectedly when Sanders’ son, Shilo Sanders, made a revealing admission while joking about why he has no interest in coaching, pointing directly to the health struggles he’s watched his father endure.

“I don’t have the patience to coach,” Shilo said. “You see, Coach Prime, like all these health problems and stuff, like his blood just rising. If he just chilled, I promise you he’ll be the healthiest man. He’ll still have his toes.”

While Shilo delivered the moment with humor, the concern behind it is very real. Sanders’ coaching rise has coincided with a series of serious medical battles that have repeatedly threatened his ability to stay on the sideline.

During the 2021 season at Jackson State, Sanders had the big toe and second toe on his left foot amputated after blood-clot complications stemming from a prior procedure. Sanders has said the issue traces back to turf toe from his playing days and that doctors told him his foot had been dislocated for nearly 18 years.

“Turf toe is what started it,” Sanders said. “They told me my foot had been dislocated for 18 years. I can make it through three quarters of a game, and after that, I’m limping like crazy.”

It didn’t end there. Sanders has repeatedly said the procedures piled up, with reporting noting he’s undergone well over a dozen surgeries since 2021 as doctors continued treating circulation and clot issues. He had a large clot from his thigh being removed, along with smaller ones around the knee. After undergoing surgery, Sanders admitted that the issue runs in his family, as one of his uncles died from a blood clot. Sanders has said he spent 23 days “fighting for his life,” and vascular surgeon Dr. Robert Brodsky has explained how clots can cut off oxygenated blood flow and threaten tissue below the blockage.

In 2025, Sanders revealed he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer and underwent surgery that removed his bladder, with his medical team later saying he was cancer-free, and he returned to continue coaching Colorado.

Why coaching has never been optional for Deion Sanders

Since the first time he underwent surgery until now, Coach Prime has never sacrificed his coaching role. In 2021, Sanders missed three Jackson State games against Bethune-Cookman, Mississippi Valley State, and Texas Southern before returning in Baton Rouge on a motorized scooter as the Tigers defeated Southern 21–17.

Even after cancer surgery earlier in 2025, Sanders maintained he planned to keep coaching. Then, in October 2025, he underwent another blood-clot procedure and emphasized he expected a quick turnaround to football activity.

“I trust God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind,” Sanders said following the procedure. “I’m going to go in there (surgery), and I’m going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery is going to be.”

Shilo Sanders’ comment may have been delivered with a laugh, but it reflected a reality those closest to Coach Prime can’t ignore. Deion Sanders has never lacked faith, toughness, or passion, but the physical cost of coaching at full throttle has been unmistakable. As long as football keeps calling, Sanders will answer. The question now is how long his body can match the same intensity.