Deion Sanders Admits He ‘Hasn’t Digested’ Becoming a First-Time Grandpa amid Daughter’s Pregnancy (Exclusive)

Deion Sanders Admits He ‘Hasn’t Digested’ Becoming a First-Time Grandpa amid Daughter’s Pregnancy (Exclusive) "I want to make sure she's straight emotionally and psychologically," Sanders

tells PEOPLE exclusively of his eldest daughter Deiondra

but has eight years of experience working in digital publishing with a focus on entertainment and pop culture news.People Editorial GuidelinesPublished on April 10, 2024 11:49AM EDTComments

From Left: Deion Sanders and daughter Deiondra Sanders.Credit :

Deiondra Sanders/Instagram

Deion Sanders is a dad of five — and now, he's a soon-to-be grandpa!

The legendary multi-sport star's eldest child, 31-year-old daughter Deiondra, announced on Instagram in March that she's expecting her first child with her partner, Jacquees.

Sanders, who is now set to become a grandfather for the first time, opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about the exciting news. Though, he revealed his thoughts and feelings haven't quite

sunken in since learning about the forthcoming family milestone.

"I haven't digested that whole thing yet," Sanders — a former NFL and MLB athlete — says of how he's processing his upcoming role in the family when speaking to PEOPLE about his latest

partnership with Boost Mobile.

Deiondra Sanders/Instagram

Despite admitting that "not one thing" excites him about becoming a first-time grandpa at the moment, Sanders nonetheless expressed proud-dad energy when sweetly speaking about Deiondra.

"I'm proud of my baby that she's at least waited until her thirties to give me this gift of life," he says. "I'm happy about that, but I want to make sure she's straight emotionally and

psychologically as well."

Deiondra's announcement on Instagram had a more serious tone. She explained all of the reasons she's having the baby in the caption of a video that appeared to be a scripted reenactment of

her real-life experiences.

She told her followers that her pregnancy was "not planned nor expected" in the caption of the video. "I’m not having my baby to keep a man. I am having my baby for all the times I was told

I wouldn’t be able to," she wrote.

and Shilo Sanders.

Deion Sanders/Instagram

"I’m having my baby for the four myomectomy surgeries I have had. I am having my baby for all the years I stayed on birth control even though it gave me breast tumors. I’m having my baby for

all the doctors that told me I wouldn’t make it out of the first trimester," she continued in part.

Sanders, meanwhile, welcomed Deiondra and Deion Jr., 30, with his first wife, Carolyn Chambers. He had three children with his second wife, Pilar Biggers-Sanders: sons Shilo, 24, and

Shedeur, 22, and daughter Shelomi, 20.