Sanders Gimps Into Dallas Newest Cowboy Says Ankle Injury May Delay His Return To The Nfl

Deion dazzled Dallas on Monday, but did owner Jerry Jones pay $35 million for a part-time player who won’t play hurt?

The question became an interrogation of Jones and Sanders at the Cowboys’ celebration news conference.

Jones said his doctors told him there were 15 players on the Cowboys who had worse ankle problems than Sanders. But he quickly added, “I want Deion to have his physical condition in the best shape. This is not a big deal. The ankle is a non-issue for me. His tolerance for pain is well known.”

Sanders, 28, attacked any thought he should be rushed into action before he was ready.

“When I step on the field I want to be 110 percent,” he said. “I’m not at full speed. I can’t cut. If I’m limping on the baseball field I know what it will be in football. I know what I can’t do.”

Sanders, who hurt the ankle in the spring when playing for the Cincinnati Reds, said he will undergo arthroscopic surgery as soon as the San Francisco Giants are eliminated from the baseball playoff picture.

Dallas particularly wants him on the field for the Nov. 12 meeting with the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.

“I want the ankle to be the best it can be,” he added. “I want to give my best when I represent the Dallas Cowboys. If I score after a touchdown I want to be able to dance and have the ankle hold up.”

Sanders got a bonus of one penny short of $13 million and signed a seven-year deal for $35 million. He gets $25 million if he opts not to play the last two years.

“My financial situation could have been greater,” said

Sanders. “I just wanted to be a Cowboy. I’ve always been a star and now I’ll have one on my helmet every day.”

Sanders, who said he would now make his permanent home in Dallas, left immediately for St. Louis to rejoin the Giants. There, he told writers, “I may take a year off (from baseball) and relax.

“It’s very realistic. Everything has to be suitable. You can’t do things in your heart that’s really not in it.”

He said Bay Area fan reaction to his football plans would influence his baseball plans, adding the way fans treat him during the next homestand could be a gauge.