Hall of Famer Deion Sanders Saw "God's Face" While in Hospital
NFL Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders, recently sat with Chris Neely on Thee Pregame Show to open up about coaching Jackson State this past year and his personal trials of the past months.
From a porch rocking chair at his Mississippi home, HBCU Gameday reports that Sanders didn’t hold back.
“Shoot, it’s been a tremendous ride,” Sanders said. “We may smell like the smoke because we’ve been through the fire. But I wouldn’t change none of it. I needed it, I love it, I’m proud of it, I’m thankful for it. I got to really see God’s face and the different personalities of God, I feel.”
Sanders dedicated his life to Jesus following a suicide attempt in 1997 in which he drove his car off a 40-foot cliff. He walked away without major injuries and with a new lease on life, thanks to his new relationship with God.
According to the Christian Post, Sanders missed three games during the 2021 season to receive treatment for severe clots in his legs. The treatment for these life-threatening clots involved amputating two toes from his left foot.
The 55-year-old athlete has had a storied career. He played football for fourteen seasons in the NFL and was an outfielder for Major League Baseball for nine.
He’s won two Super Bowl titles and appeared in one World Series. He reflected on the fear that these blood clots could have cost him his life.
“It was a blessing. Because I could have lost my life very easily. It was there. It was a thought process of losing my leg from the knee down. It was almost there,” the Hall of Famer continued.
“So when I look up and say thank you, Jesus, it’s because I know the quiet cries at night that were in that hospital.”
He also said there’s no way the nurses and hospital staff didn’t understand he was saved because he was “speaking in tongues, and the prayer, and the fellowship of God, and the praising Him through and through, I’m pretty sure that some of those nurses thought I was crazy.”
Sanders is feeling better now and described how he cut his recovery short because his son, Shedeur Sanders, quarterback for Jackson State, came to his room. “‘Dad, I need you.’ Shedeur is a young man of few words, which compelled the loving father to be there for his child and the team.”
It was challenging because his strength wasn’t yet back but Sanders says that God “gave him the ‘grace’ to attend that game and not pass out while in that condition.”
“Didn’t have no strength, I probably was 40 pounds light. Weak. It wasn’t a good decision, but I’m glad I made the decision. God saw me through.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741.
