Tevin Coleman (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
Former NFL running back Tevin Coleman has revealed that his daughter has been facing some serious health challenges lately.

The former Indiana Hoosiers star and his wife Akilah recently disclosed that their six-year-old, Nazaneen, has been on a ventilator for a while now, having been diagnosed with sickle cell as a very young child.

Nazaneen also underwent a blood transfusion while hospitalized.

“It’s a feeling unexplainable watching your child literally fight to breathe. Tevin managed to calm my spirit while managing his own,” Akilah said, per The Mirror. “I’m so sorry for that because it doesn’t leave space for him to go through the motions.“

Coleman’s wife said she was proud of Nazaneen’s resilience and has been humbled by the way she has fought the disease.

“It’s really hard for any parent to be this kind of vulnerable and transparent but we feel it’s important because we share so many of our highs and our successions that it would be disingenuous and misleading not to share this,” she added.

Tevin Coleman Also Struggled With Sickle Cell

Tevin Coleman suffered from sickle cell himself and says he wanted to offer her the best protection, which is why he was initially silent about her condition.

“I wanted to protect her — from the public, from everybody. So that’s why I didn’t say anything at first,” he said to People last year.

“Every time that my daughter does have a crisis or she is in the hospital afterward we try to uplift her and keep positive vibes.“

The former All-American was a third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and remained with the team until 2018. He had his best season with the team that year as he registered over 1,000 total yards for the first time in his career.

Coleman joined the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year deal in 2019, later going on to play for the New York Jets before returning to San Francisco for the 2022 season.