Lions legend Barry Sanders reveals heart ‘health scare’ over Father’s Day weekend

Sanders, who played his entire NFL career with the Lions, suffered a heart related incident but he is currently healthy.

Lions legend Barry Sanders reveals heart ‘health scare’ over Father’s Day weekend

Barry Sanders (Image via IMAGO)

On Friday, a social media post revealed that Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders experienced heart-related issues on Father’s Day. While there’s no clarity regarding the nature of the issue, the Detroit Lions legend apparently is out of danger.

Regardless, Sanders, who will turn 56 in a month, claimed the problem was so sudden that surprised him and his family. It helped him understand the importance of staying vigilant about physical and psychological well-being.

Over Father’s Day weekend. I experienced a health scare related to my heart. It was unexpected and served as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant about our physical well-being.
Barry Sanders wrote in his statement shared via on X

In his statement, Sanders expressed his gratitude for the doctors who took care of him and sent special thanks to the nurses and the medical staff. By taking the doctor’s advice, he is ready to focus more on his health from now on.

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I am grateful for the amazing Doctors, Nurses, and Health Care professionals for providing me with needed care.
Barry Sanders wrote

The Detroit Lions reshared the post with the caption, “Get Well soon Barry.”

Barry Sanders is the only Lions player with a statue

After crushing the college scene with Oklahoma State Cowboys, with an average of 238.9 yards per carry in his final season, Barry Sanders entered the NFL as the third overall pick in the 1989 Draft. The Lions struck gold with the running back who would go on to spend his entire career in Detroit.

Lions legend Barry Sanders reveals heart 'health scare' over Father's Day weekend
Barry Sanders with Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell (Image via IMAGO)

When he suddenly hung up his boots, the Wichita native had 15,269 rushing yards, most consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards rushing (10), and most games with at least 100 yards rushing in a season (14 games in 1997).

Apart from those remarkable stats, Sanders rushed 3,062 times in 153 games for the Lions, scoring 99 touchdowns along with 352 receptions for 2,921 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sanders was the NFL MVP in 1997, a 2 time NFL Offensive Player (1994 and 1997), 6 time First Team All-Pro, 4 Time Second Team All-Pro, 10 time Pro Bowler, 4 time NFL Rushing Yards Leader (1990, 1994, 1996 and 1997), and the 1991 rushing touchdown leader.

Oklahoma State Cowboys retired Sanders’ No 21 jersey when inducting him into the program’s Hall of Fame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Added Barry Sanders’ name to the list in 2004.

The Lions unveiled a statue outside of the Ford Field in September 2023. Sanders is the only player with a statue dedicated to him in the franchise.   

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