(NEXSTAR) – NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders shared an emotional update regarding his toes on Tuesday after he suffered a blood clot months after having surgery on his foot.
In a brief excerpt from an upcoming episode of his “Coach Prime” documentary series, Sanders is seen laying in a hospital bed as health care workers remove bandages from his lower left leg. Sanders says this is the first time he’s seen his foot after his toes – the big toe and the one next to it – were amputated.
“The hardest part of it all was to look down there and see that and understand, you know, once upon a time, you were this type of athlete,” Sanders recounts in the clip. “And you don’t even know if you’re gonna walk, because all you feel is pain.”
Sanders played as a defensive back for five NFL teams – Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington, and Baltimore – and as an MLB outfielder for four teams – the Yankees, Braves, Reds, and Giants. He’s now the head coach for the Jackson State University football team.
In November, Sanders was hospitalized for about a month, roughly two months after he had foot surgery to fix a dislocated toe. He suffered a blood clot, Sports Illustrated reports, which caused concerns that he’d need his leg amputated from below the knee.
The latest episode of Sanders’ docu-series is set to focus on his hospitalization, amputation, and how his team continued on in his absence.
“I got to warn ya This ain’t a pretty sight!” Sanders said in a Tuesday post about the upcoming episode.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.