You don’t expect a 26-year-old NFL cornerback to suddenly need open-heart surgery.

Cyrus Jones got some shocking news this week. He was told he had an anomalous coronary artery and needed surgery, which happened Thursday in Denver according to the Baltimore Sun. Jones, a star in college at Alabama, has spent time with the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. He was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos on Nov. 13 after the Ravens cut him.

Jones posted a picture on Instagram from the hospital:

The beginning of the caption read: “When my doctor told me I would need open heart surgery I couldn’t believe what he had just said. Especially for something that I had been living with my whole life. It took me some time to fully grasp what that meant. Stuck in between wanting to feel sorry for myself, hopeless/angry at God, I had to make a decision.”

The Baltimore Sun pointed out anomalous coronary artery is a heart defect that causes an artery to grow in the wrong place, and was the condition that affected UCLA basketball player Shareef O’Neal, the son of Shaquille O’Neal. Shareef O’Neal missed his freshman year after being diagnosed. The condition can cause sudden death in young athletes.

Cornerback Cyrus Jones, formerly of the Ravens, had heart surgery. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) More

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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