Colorado football coach Deion Sanders took time out of his weekly news conference Oct. 20 to send a special message to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who might be out for the season battling blood clots.
Sanders can relate. He has battled blood clots for years, takes medications for them and had two toes amputated in 2021 as a result.
“First of all, let me address our guy from Philly, man…” Sanders said Tuesday. “I know what he's dealing with. I know what he's going through, and I'm praying for him. I'm really, really praying for him. And I pray to God that it's not what I think, it’s not what many of us think. But when we see it's out for the season, when we see things like that, I'm just like, ‘Please, I pray to God that he's not out for the rest
of his career.’”
Sanders, 59, and Hurts, 28, have different types of blood-clot issues, so their outlooks aren’t the same. Sanders has had arterial clots in his legs he attributes to genetics. Arterial clots take blood away from the heart, as opposed to the veins, which carry it back. Hurts has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, according to the team.
Sanders underwent several procedures in recent the years to fix his recurring issues, including in the spring and last year during the season. With Hurts, blood thinner medication makes playing football riskier because of bleeding. The Eagles and his agent, Nicole Lynn, said they still expect a “full recovery” for Hurts.
“We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the blood thinners,” they said in a statement. “In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. More importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects.”
Sanders is preparing for his team’s next game Oct. 24 at Oklahoma State. The Buffaloes (2-4) have lost four games in a row after suffering a 27-24 loss Oct. 17 at home against Utah.
“Hats off to his family and the people around him,” Sanders said about Hurts. “I know he's a praying man. He has a tremendous family. He was raised correctly… tremendous support system, but hat's off to him.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deion Sanders offers warning, prayer for Jalen Hurts after blood clot diagnosis
