Deion Sanders gave fans a graphic look back at the surgery that cost him two toes, sharing photos of his left foot on Instagram this week to mark five years since the ordeal. His son, Shedeur Sanders, had a short, blunt reaction in the comments.

“Need a warning sign,” Shedeur commented.

Shedeur’s comment seemed to be a request for his father to warn people before sharing such graphic images, which could be unsettling for fans or perhaps himself, who are sensitive to injury photos.

The photos show stitches across the top of the foot, dark discoloration, and what looks like a pin with a green ball on the end sticking out of one toe. Deion also told his followers he plans to share a few more so they can understand how good God is, and he was clear about why he posted them:

“I ain’t looking for sympathy I’m showing that God is real and present.”

It all began in September 2021, when Deion, then the head coach at Jackson State, had a procedure for a dislocated toe and an inflamed nerve. Dangerous blood clots followed, and that October he spent 23 days in the hospital and went through eight surgeries in three weeks. Doctors ended up amputating the big toe and second toe on his left foot, and a below-the-knee amputation was discussed at one point.

Deion missed three games, then came back on November 13 in a motorized wheelchair. Shedeur threw the game-winning touchdown in that 21-17 win, and his brother Shilo Sanders sealed it with an interception. Deion only opened up about the amputation months later, in March 2022, on the Coach Prime series.

“They were talking about the amputation of toes. Then they were talking about the amputation of my leg from the knee down. Then, they were trying to ensure I had life.”

The toes were not his only health scare. In 2023, he had surgery to remove blood clots from his right leg, and in 2025 he revealed that he had his bladder removed during the offseason after doctors found a high-grade cancerous tumor.

After the 2022 reveal, Shedeur took his first shot at joking about his dad’s toes. In a clip Deion shared on Instagram, Shedeur told him he was “ten toes down” for him, then followed up with a question:

Deion replied, “No, I’m eight.” The clip got a lot of love online, and fans joked that Shedeur had just slipped a few spots on the favorite child ranking.

Shedeur has been more guarded about it since turning pro. After a Browns practice in June 2025, he was asked about his father’s health, but he shut the topic down:

“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m here not to talk about pops and them. I’m here for the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.”

Deion has kept moving forward on the toe front too. In September, he showed off custom silicone prosthetics for the big toe and second toe on his left foot and declared himself “ten toes down again.”

His son Deion Sanders Jr. recorded the fitting on September 16. The new toes are meant to support the foot, improve his balance, and let him put weight on it and walk more easily. Around the same time, Shilo admitted he had tried to avoid direct eye contact with his father’s toes for a long time and said, “They are really messed up.”

Meanwhile, Shedeur is the Browns’ backup behind Deshaun Watson, with Cleveland at 4-2 after a 13-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens on October 18. Dillon Gabriel’s practice window off injured reserve closes on October 27, so the quarterback room could look different very soon.

The post “Need a Warning Sign”: Shedeur Sanders Left Stunned by Deion’s Gruesome Toe-Removal Photos appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.