left foot

Colorado coach Deion Sanders returned to Buffaloes football practice Wednesday — just as Coach Prime said he would 24 hours earlier when he announced he would be undergoing a surgical procedure later that day related to blood clot issues.

A video posted by his eldest son, Deion Sanders, Jr., on his “Well Off Media” YouTube channel Wednesday starts with a clip of Sanders going into surgery. Then, after indicating a 16-hour time jump, the video shows Sanders walking briskly, if perhaps a little gingerly, through the Buffaloes’ indoor practice facility. He is offered a cart but apparently turns it down.

Much of the rest of the eight-minute video shows clips from the team’s practice. Sanders stays on the move, with his walking appearing a bit more labored as practice continues. Sanders is not seen at what appears to be the end of practice, as another coach addresses the players.

A spokesperson for Colorado football told The Times on Wednesday afternoon that the team expects Sanders to coach the Buffaloes on Saturday during their home game against No. 22 Iowa State.

No other information has been released on the surgery or Sanders’ condition.

During his weekly news conference Tuesday, Sanders revealed he’d be undergoing the surgical procedure — called an aspiration thrombectomy, which involves the left popliteal (located behind the knee) and tibial arteries — later that day. He said the surgery could take several hours.

“I’m going to be all right,” Sanders said. “Prayerfully, I’ll be right back tomorrow because I don’t miss practice. I don’t plan on doing such.”

On Saturday, Sanders could be seen either sitting down or limping around on the Buffaloes sideline during Colorado’s 35-21 loss to Texas Christian. He didn’t wear a shoe on his left foot during the second half and afterward told reporters he was “hurting like crazy.”

“I think I’ve got more blood clots,” said Sanders, who had two toes amputated on his left foot in 2021 because of blood clot issues and had a blood clot removed from his right leg in 2023. “I’m not getting blood to my leg. That’s why my leg is throbbing.”

The surgical procedure is said to be Sanders’ 16th in the last three years. He told reporters Tuesday that his struggles with blood clots are hereditary.

This summer, Sanders revealed that his bladder had been removed in May to address a cancerous tumor.

Janet Kukreja, Sanders’ doctor at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, told reporters at the same news conference that a section of Sanders’ intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder and that the procedure was a success. She added that Sanders would not need radiation or chemotherapy treatments.

Sanders was a superstar cornerback in the NFL, playing for five teams over 14 years and winning two Super Bowls (with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys). The 1994 defensive player of the year was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

As coach at Jackson State from 2020 to 2022, Sanders led the Tigers to two Southwestern Athletic Conference titles and was named the SWAC coach of the year twice. He is in his third season at Colorado, where he has coached such stars at 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter (now with the Jacksonville Jaguars) and son Shedeur Sanders (now with the Cleveland Browns).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

San Diego Padres pitcher Jason Adam is out for the season after he ruptured a quad tendon Monday when planting his left foot while trying to field a comebacker.

Now we know what can tilt a pennant race between two teams whose performance has been roughly even with a month to go before the playoffs.

An injury is never celebrated, but it can prompt a feeling of relief, which is probably the Dodgers’ unspoken reaction.

Adam, you see, is untouchable when pitching against the Dodgers. He has never given up a run to them in 15 appearances dating back to 2019.

A 6-foot-3, right-handed reliever with a funky, short-armed delivery, Adam hasn’t been scored on in six appearances against the Dodgers this season, five appearances last season — including three in the National League Division Series — two more in 2023 and two in 2019.

Dodgers hitters are seven for 51 (.137) with one double, two walks and 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings against Adam, who usually pitches the seventh or eighth inning, although he does have 24 career saves.

Adam is tough for anyone to hit, despite being particularly dominant against Los Angeles. Acquired by the Padres from the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2024 trade deadline, he is 11-4 with a 1.37 earned-run average in 92 appearances since then.

Now, though, he is sidelined until 2026, and the Padres recognize that the loss is profound.

“When that happens, you focus on the big picture, his health, what it means to the team,” Padres outfielder Gavin Sheets told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It definitely puts a dark cloud over the day for all of us.”

The Padres — like the Dodgers — have lost key players to injury. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is on the injured list with a fracture in his left foot. All-Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. pulled his right hamstring Sunday and did not play Monday.

General manager A.J. Preller fortified the roster at the trading deadline, and Adam told him after the injury Monday that he was grateful for the addition of dynamic reliever Mason Miller.

“I told A.J., I’m really glad he went out and got Mason,” Adam told reporters. “I’m excited to cheer those guys on.

“Knowing this group, the mental toughness they have, the skill, there is everything in this clubhouse to win the World Series. You want to be a part of that…. That’s the hardest part.”

The Dodgers figured they had tilted the bullpen balance in their direction when they signed Padres closer Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72-million free-agent contract during the offseason.

But Scott has been disappointing, posting a 4.44 ERA with eight blown saves for the Dodgers, including giving up a three-run home run Sunday.

Miller, meanwhile, has a 1.64 ERA in 11 appearances with the Padres. All he could think about Monday was his teammate Adam.

“Really heartbreaking…. obviously, it sucks losing him, not only for what he does on the mound but the type of person he is,” Miller said.