What happened to Barry Sanders? NFL Legend opens up about suffering heart attack

Barry Sanders opens up about suffering heart attack.

NFL Legend Barry Sanders who has inspired people during his Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Lions, publicly announced that he had suffered a heart attack while attending a recruiting visit for his son.

During an exclusive interview with CBS Sports he revealed that what he initially called a heart-related health scare last year was in fact a heart attack.

"I couldn't believe it, honestly," Barry Sanders said in The Making of a Heart Attack. "I thought it was like heartburn, but it just kind of persisted."

"Of all things, I don't know why, that just never entered my mind," Sanders further added. "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 the doctor, get tested for LDLC levels, or bad cholesterol. That's the only way to find out if you have high cholesterol. It's not something you're going to be able to feel. You don't have to fit a certain physical profile."

In the documentary, Barry Sanders talks about how he aspires to bring more awareness to the issue that millions of people go through. He brought together four other people who experienced a heart attack or stroke to figure out the hidden risks and alert people who may not know about it.

"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."

Barry Sanders further talked about his recovery and improved health:

"It's definitely made me healthier and happier. 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."

Now an advocate for heart health, the legendary NFL running back stresses how each person's case is different and thanks his fans for the overwhelming support in his journey.

"Sometimes it's hereditary and it's not like you're doing anything wrong," he states. "There's a lot of different stories and examples out there. That's why it's important for people to have that conversation with their doctor."

"I have great appreciation for it. Really warmed my heart, the response from fans, to know that that many fans cared that much and cared in that way about how I was doing, what I was going through. It meant a lot to me."

Barry Sanders, who was a Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma State and the third overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft, has also taken it upon himself to encourage others to visit attackheartdisease.com/test to get tested and learn more about themselves.

The Making of a Heart Attack

The Making of a Heart Attack, a documentary, will air on Saturday (June 14, 2025) at 1 p.m. ET on A&E. In the film, Sanders talks to four other people "who faced a heart attack or stroke to uncover the hidden risks, lasting impact and what they want others to know". According to the film's description on A&E's website,

"When it comes to cardiovascular disease, recognizing the risks is the first step to taking action."

Talking about The Making of a Heart Attack documentary series, Sanders said,

“It’s really been an education for me, learning about how frequent this happens all over the U.S."

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Barry Sanders' Career

Barry who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, played the position of a running back for the Lions for 10 years and finished his career a six-time All-Pro and three-time Offensive Player of the Year award-winner. Not only that, the former NFL legend also won the NFL MVP award after the 1997 season.

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