“Stupid Spider”: 480 Lbs Former NFL Player Once Faced a Similar Tragedy That Deion Sanders Is Facing Right Now

Tragedy does not come announcing itself. When Colorado Buffaloes HC Deion Sanders went through his health scare, it came unannounced. And despite the tragic pain that Coach Prime goes through because of this unfortunate incident, the 55-year-old never backs down. Amidst the looming threat and danger to his life, Sanders continues to preach words of positivity and wisdom to his millions of fans.

But do you know, there is another former NFL player who faced a similar tragedy to the one Deion Sanders is going through currently? Once regarded as one of the heaviest players in the NFL, this former 480 lbs star had a life-changing incident that changed him forever. 

Aaron Gibson had a tragic incident 

Backing during his NFL days. Former offensive tackle Aaron Gibson was a monster to go against. Being a blue-chip prospect in the drafts, the Detroit Lions traded with the Miami Dolphins to move up 12 spots to acquire Gibson in the 1999th Draft. Coming into the NFL, he was seen as the ideal guardian who kept his QB safe on the field. But injuries led to Aaron Gibson dipping in his value, before eventually retiring in 2004. And being an OT, Gibson had a heavy diet, which he believed could have led to health problems. But fate had other plans for him. 

According to an article by Bleacher Report, Aaron Gibson had to amputate one of his toes. And the reason was not because of his overeating. In fact, it was because of the bite of a poisonous spider, that entered his shoe when he was working on his Koi pond. “It was a stupid spider bite. It was ugly, but I guessed when it healed, it’d be better”, Gibson recalls. Seventeen days after being bit, the former OT was in agonizing pain. And when he went to the hospital, the doctors had to amputate his toe in order to stop the poison from spreading.

Read more: “Say It Louder…”: Coach Prime Deion Sanders Inspires Millions With a Massive Truth Bomb

This is the same as Deion Sanders, who has two of his toes amputated in September 2021 as well.

Coach Prime shares a tragic link-up with Gibson

While Sanders was still the HC at Jackson State, he developed a life-threatening blood clot on his leg. He then underwent nine surgeries, with eight taking place within a month. This led to Sanders needing to amputate two of his toes in order to save his life. And recently, he underwent surgery once again to address the constant pain that he feels in his left leg. And while recovering from this surgery, Sanders underwent two more surgeries again on Thursday to ensure that he feels no pain while wearing shoes. 

While Deion Sanders continues to recover from his surgery once again, this incident gives him an ice-breaker with Aaron Gibson if they ever meet in the future. 

Watch this story: Deion Sanders sparks a fire within 3.4 million Instagram fans instilling unshakable confidence