Deion Sanders breaks silence on health amid undisclosed illness

Jackie Longo

Deion Sanders breaks silence on health amid undisclosed illness image

Deion Sanders has given an update on the mystery illness he's currently dealing with. 

The former NFL star, 57, announced over the weekend that he's still not entirely over whatever undisclosed illness he's been battling. 

Sanders shared the rare update on his son, Deion Jr.'s, YouTube vlog on Sunday, July 20. 

Deion Sanders opens up about health battle: 'I aint all the way recovered' 

During the video, Coach Prime's youngest child, daughter Shelomi Sanders, 21, tried to coax the NFL Hall of Famer into an ice bath on the family's patio outside their Texas ranch. 

Wearing a pair of grey sweat shorts and a red hoodie with a money symbol on the front, Deion was hesitant to get in at first, but eventually climbed into the ice-cold bathtub.

He stayed in the water for under 30 seconds before jumping out and telling his daughter, "It's cold," and that he needed "toe covers." 

"You know I'm still going through something," Deion told his daughter. "I aint all the way recovered," he added.

Shelomi remained in the ice-cold water; however, Deion said he wanted to wait for the water to cool down a bit. 

"It's not gonna cool off, it's ice," Shelomi told the NFL star, adding that she didn't even notice the chill after sitting in the water for some time. 

"I'm proud of you," Coach Prime said, reminding his daughter that she's an athlete. 

Shelomi then told her father he is, too. 

"I'm in the books. I"ve been written," Deion said, before climbing back in the ice bath for a second round. 

Despite whatever medical condition Deion's battling, he was still very active and remained in good spirits during the video with his kids.

The 57-year-old Colorado Buffaloes coach announced that he was "did the best he could" during a 1.3 mile run with Shelomi and even tapped into a little tennis and basketball action at one point in the clip. 

"I'm proud. I'm getting better though, right," Deion said. 

MORE: Colorado's Deion Sanders nears return to Boulder, with health answers coming soon, his oldest son says

Deion Sanders announced his mystery illness in June 2025

Deion - who's also a parent to Deondra Sanders, 33, Tampa Baby Buccaneers rookie safety Shilo Sanders, 25, and Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, 23, - first announced that he was battling an undisclosed health issues on June 10. 

At the time, he said he would be missing some Buffaloes football camps because of it. 

He didn't share any specifics with fans, but assured them that "everything is ok." His son, Deion Jr. has since said that his father will share more details on the specifics at a later time but is yet to reveal what he's going through. 

In 2022 and 2023, the former NFL star had multiple procedures on his leg and foot and had two toes amputated. 

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Jackie Longo

Jackie is a freelance writer and editor with The Sporting News. She has covered sports, entertainment and lifestyle for over a decade. She has written for a number of outlets including Business Insider, The Sun, Travel+Leisure and Heavy. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from West Virginia University and resides in Charlotte, NC.