Friday, May 29, 1998

Deion Sanders injured, may miss part of training camp

DALLAS (AP) - Dallas Cowboys' cornerback Deion Sanders may have surgery on his left ankle and miss the early part of training camp, a team spokesman said Friday.

Even if surgery is performed, Sanders won't miss any regular-season games because of it, the spokesman said.

Sanders has a bone fragment in his ankle, said Rich Dalrymple. The question for doctors is whether it should be surgically removed, he added.

"We're still waiting to hear from the doctors whether they decide to go ahead with surgery on the ankle," Dalrymple said Friday.

Sanders flew to Miami last week for a magnetic-resonance imaging exam by Dr. John Uribe, the Miami Dolphins team doctor who operated on the same ankle in 1995.

Dalrymple said the Cowboys have known since early May that the ankle was bothering Sanders. The team is confident Sanders will be ready for the regular season.

"We are very , very certain he will be healthy for the season," Dalrymple said. "This won't have any bearing on his readiness for the football season."

Sanders' ankle problems stem from a bone chip suffered playing baseball for the Cincinnati Reds in 1995. He hurt the ankle sliding into third base. Sanders has aggravated the injury playing racquetball.

Sanders missed the last three games of the 1997 season with a broken rib, but that injury has healed.