ClutchPoints
Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders is one of the greatest running backs ever, but his legacy doesn’t stop there. The four-time NFL rushing yards leader had a heart attack on Father’s Day in 2024, a sobering reminder of life’s fragility, even for sports titans.
Sanders, a father of four, didn’t take the experience lightly. The Detroit Lions’ 75th Anniversary Team member not only made healthy lifestyle changes, but he also became a heart health advocate. He showed off his knowledge in A&E’s new documentary The Making of a Heart Attack, produced by biopharmaceutical company Amgen.
The documentary, which is headed to the Cannes Lions International Film Festival in June, focuses on understanding risk factors, especially LDL-C, or “bad” cholesterol. Viewers can watch on A&E or AttackHeartDisease.com/Documentary.
Sanders spoke to ClutchPoints on Thursday about his health scare, the documentary, and how the NFL’s current player safety protocols compare to when he played.
Joshua Valdez: How did your heart attack last year change your perspective on your life?
Barry Sanders: I think it just made me stop and reflect and understand where I was, and that I needed to do certain things differently. It was a real education. I’m fortunate that I was able to run to the doctors that I did and have them point me in the right direction as far as lowering my bad cholesterol and whatever lifestyle changes I needed to make. You know, getting on this side of it, I guess. It’s been a year now, just about. A lot of follow-ups with doctors and conversations. It just so happened that in that process, I learned that Amgen was doing this documentary, The Making of a Heart Attack, and I was able to be a part of that.
So in the process of me sort of healing and recovering and learning that Amgen was doing this project, just interacting with and meeting other individuals who dealt with heart attack and stroke. So yeah, relatively speaking, it’s been a pretty important, informative, and encouraging process to meet people who are heart health advocates and have foundations that bring awareness to people. Turning the negative into a positive…
Joshua Valdez: What lifestyle changes did you have to make?
Well, just following doctors’ advice, meeting with them, understanding what it means to have bad cholesterol and high LDL-C levels. Some people have hereditary risk factors, it’s not something they’re doing wrong. You don’t have to be extremely overweight, you don’t have to be in an older demographic. For me…I’m doing a little more walking, probably not eating as much. Things like that have all helped me.
Joshua Valdez: What other misconceptions have you noticed about heart disease?
Well, the only way to know is by talking to your doctor and testing for LDL-C. Also, what’s surprised me is that some of these victims are in their 30s. Sitting here in my mid-50s, 30 seems really, really young. That’s why it’s important to have those...
