Colts safety Bob Sanders said last month that he feels great and is excited about getting back on the field after playing just two games last season.
But Michael Lombardi of NFL.com reports that there are concerns that Sanders won’t be able to get back onto the field at all.
According to Lombardi, there is some concern that Sanders might never be able to play football again, thanks to shoulder and bicep issues stemming from the ruptured bicep tendon that Sanders suffered last year. Although Sanders says he feels great, Lombardi says Sanders’ rehab has been slow.
Lombardi also reports that Sanders “reduced his contract,” but Lombardi provides no details. Sanders signed a five-year, $37 million contract with the Colts in 2007, and as of late in the 2009 season, Colts G.M. Bill Polian sounded comfortable with continuing to have Sanders playing under that contract, even though it’s obviously disappointing to the Colts that Sanders has played just eight games the last two years.
Overall, Lombardi’s report is a surprise -- it’s surprising that there’s so much concern about Sanders’ health after he pronounced himself “great,” surprising to hear that Sanders reduced his contract, and surprising that NFL.com buried such major news about a former Defensive Player of the Year in the final paragraph of an easy-to-overlook notes column.
