Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is brushing off potential distractions as his son Shilo Sanders preps for a federal bankruptcy trial just days before the Buffaloes’ season opener.
With Shilo seeking to discharge an $11.89 million court judgment, Coach Prime addressed receiving a subpoena to testify in the proceedings, suggesting off-field legal scrutiny comes naturally with great success.
Deion Sanders Brushes Aside Subpoena Concerns
Speaking to reporters Monday, Sanders appeared unfazed when asked about the subpoena, delivered after a sheriff’s deputy attempted to serve him on campus August 11, and whether his son’s August 31 trial could distract him or the team.
“Do you think that’s my first subpoena? When you have ‘it,’ when you’re ‘him,’ you get sued. You have off-the-field foolishness that if someone really sat down and explained it to you, you would say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ But it is what it is,” he said.
Sanders continued by suggesting that people who achieve significant success often attract legal challenges. “I don’t know anyone that’s a game-changer, a way-maker, that is not dealing with some type of lawsuit.”
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Rather than focusing on the details of the case, Sanders made it clear that he doesn’t intend to let the situation dominate his attention as Colorado prepares for the season.
What Is the Shilo Sanders Case About?
The legal dispute dates back to 2015, when Shilo was a 15-year-old high school student in Dallas.
Shilo was involved in a confrontation with campus security guard John Darjean, who attempted to confiscate his phone. Darjean alleged that Shilo punched and elbowed him, causing serious spinal injuries. Shilo has maintained that he acted in self-defense.
Darjean later sued Shilo. After Shilo failed to appear for a 2022 trial in Texas, a judge entered an $11.89 million default judgment against him.
Shilo subsequently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2023, seeking to eliminate the debt. However, certain debts involving alleged “willful and malicious injury” may not be dischargeable under federal bankruptcy law.
That issue is now at the center of the federal trial in Denver.
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Why Was Deion Sanders Subpoenaed?
Deion’s involvement stems from a phone call he allegedly had with Darjean shortly before the confrontation.
Darjean’s legal team wants to question the Colorado coach about that conversation as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.
Sanders’ attorney, Harvey Steinberg, meanwhile, has filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing that it imposes an undue burden given the season opener. Whether Sanders appears in person or remotely will be up to Judge Michael E. Romero.
With Colorado set to kick off its season against Georgia Tech on September 3, Sanders remains determined to keep the team’s focus locked on the field as the courtroom trial unfolds.
