Sands only played one year of college football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During his only season, 1999, he played he totaled 36 tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries. He did not play in 2000.
Sands was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He missed the entire season after being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list with a foot injury. After the season, he was allocated to the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, where he saw action in 10 games, picking up 14 tackles. He was waived by the Chiefs during final roster cutdowns before the 2002 season and re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 10. He was released from it on September 19.
After being released from the Chiefs Sands was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on November 20, 2002, where he spent the remainder of the season. He was re-signed by the Packers following the season. He was waived by the Packers on August 26, 2003, and re-signed to their practice squad on September 1. He was released from their practice squad on September 17, and re-signed to the practice squad on October 1. On October 16, 2003, he was promoted to the Packers' active roster. He played in one game before being waived on November 11, 2003.
Oakland Raiders
Sands was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders on November 12, 2003. He played in three games for the Raiders in the 2003 season, recording three tackles. He played in 15 games for the Raiders in 2004, picking up 22 tackles and two passes defensed on the year. He played in the final nine games of the 2005 season, recording 10 tackles and one sack. For the Raiders in 2006, Sands played in 16 games, starting two, while recording a career-high 41 tackles, a sack, and his first career interception. Following the season, he was re-signed to a four-year, $17 million contract. He started 11 of 16 games played for the Raiders in 2007, picking up 23 tackles and no sacks. In 2008, he played in 16 games with no starts, recording 29 tackles and two sacks. Following a road win over the Denver Broncos on November 23, 2008, Sands punched Raiders punter Shane Lechler in the face on the team flight, but was neither fined nor suspended for the incident. In six years with the Raiders he started 14 of 75 games, recording 128 tackles, four sacks and an interception. He was released on September 5, 2009, during final roster cutdowns.
Sands signed with the New England Patriots on September 28, 2009. During his first week with the Patriots, Sands told the media he stood at 6-foot-8 and weighed 355 pounds. He was released by the team on October 14, after being active for one game.
