NFL Legend Barry Sanders Reveals He Suffered A Heart Attack Last Year

Barry Sanders, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, recently revealed that he suffered a heart attack last year during a recruiting trip as he accompanied one of his sons.

During an interview with CBS Sports on Friday, June 13, the Detroit Lions legend shared the health scare he experienced. Sanders also spoke about  The Making of a Heart Attack, a documentary he appears, which will premiere on Saturday, June 14 at 1 p.m. on A&E. 

“I couldn’t believe it, honestly,” Sanders said. “I thought it was like heartburn, but it just kind of persisted.” 

After feeling a sensation that he thought was heartburn, Sanders left the recruiting visit and drove himself to the emergency room.

“Of all things, I don’t know why, that just never entered my mind. I’m learning through this process that there aren’t necessarily any warning signs, unless you do what we’re encouraging people to do, which is to go to the doctor, get tested for LDL-C levels, or bad cholesterol. It’s not something you’re going to be able to feel. You don’t have to fit a certain physical profile.” Sanders recalled.

In the documentary, Sanders speaks with four other people who experienced a heart attack or stroke “to uncover the hidden risks, lasting impacts, and what they want others to know.”

“It’s really been an education for me, learning about how frequent this happens all over the U.S.,” Sanders said. “Conversing with these other individuals who are part of this documentary, who have very insightful, gripping stories about the journey that they’ve been on. It’s just really amazing. I think it will get a lot of people’s attention.” 

After taking his doctor’s advice, which included additional walking, dietary change, and the proper medication, Sanders is doing better than ever.

“It’s definitely made me healthier and happier,” Sanders said. “Being the kind of athlete that I was, I would see people walking and I would wonder, like, ‘What kind of workout is that?’ But there’s a thing called a heart-healthy workout, where you’re just getting your heart rate up a little bit over a certain period of time, and that’s just really good for your heart. There was just a certain ignorance that I had about things like that. But all of it has been a learning process.”

The Making of a Heart Attack premieres on Saturday, June 14, at 1 p.m. on A&E.