Photo Courtesy of Twitter/ Deion Sanders
Jackson State University’s head coach, Deion Sanders, has been hospitalized at a Jackson, Mississippi-area hospital and is currently suffering from ongoing health issues, which has not allowed him to return to coaching.
According to Football Scoop, Sanders is recovering after having undergone foot surgery on September 22 and dealing with a non-disclosed illness.
Sanders wasn’t able to coach Jackson State’s win against Bethune-Cookman on October 30 and their game against Mississippi Valley State.
In his absence, Sanders’ team, the Tigers, won both contests against Bethune-Cookman and Mississippi Valley State, according to HBCU Legends.
After the Tigers’ 28-19 victory against the Delta Devils, Sanders Tweeted, “Jackson State #TheeILove GREAT WIN!”
The coach gave a shoutout to his team and said, “We have truly been tested these past couple of months regarding our strength, mentally and physically, as individuals and as a team. I AM SO DARN PROUD of each and every one of these young men and women that are a part and connected to this team.”
Gary Harrell, who Sanders referred to as his right hand, is currently overseeing the Tigers’ program in substitution of the head coach.
During the SWAC coaches’ video conference on October 25, Harrell addressed Sanders’ absence.
“With the sudden change for us, luckily, the foundation has been laid by Coach Prime,” Harrell said. “You mentioned the word consistency; we’ve kind of handled that also with the foundation and being consistent with our schedule and our core values. Trying to be smart, fast, tough disciplined.”
“We hang our hats on those words,” Harrell added.
Sanders’ arrival last year to the Jackson State program has caught the eye of folks in the league and brought attention to the school as the Tigers have built a strong track record for the football program.