Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, son of head coach Deion Sanders, finds himself under intense scrutiny following his bankruptcy declaration in the midst of a legal battle over an $11.89 million assault lawsuit.
The legal saga traces back to a 2022 ruling in a state court, which found Sanders guilty of assault and battery against John Darjean, a former security guard at Triple A Academy.
The incident reportedly occurred in 2015 during Sanders’ time as a student at the high school, where Deion served as CEO.
According to court documents, the altercation ensued after Darjean escorted Sanders to in-school suspension for violating a no-phone policy.
Shilo allegedly elbowed Darjean’s chest and continued to punch him after he fell to the ground.
Darjean claimed to have sustained “severe and permanent injuries including a broken neck, damage to his cervical spine, permanent neurological injuries and irreversible incontinence.”
Sanders claimed he acted in self-defense and denied certain aspects of Darjean’s allegations. However, the court upheld the charges of assault.
With the lawsuit settlement still unpaid, questions surround the legitimacy of Sanders’ bankruptcy filing.
Darjean’s attorneys claim that Sanders did not properly document some of his valuable possessions.
“Contrary to the schedules, Shilo has admitted acquiring vast amounts of high-end and expensive clothing,” the filing reads.
“For example, on his YouTube Channel posted on May 4, 2023, he states, ‘Alright we at the Louis (Vuitton) Store I am trying to spend at least $50,000 today.’”
The controversy deepens as discrepancies emerge between Sanders’ declared assets and his public displays of wealth on social media.
Despite declaring only $320,477 in assets, Sanders has showcased luxurious items such as high-end clothing and endorsements on platforms like Instagram, where he boasts over 1 million followers.
Darjean’s attorneys have also raised concerns about Sanders’ failure to disclose his various NIL partnerships, including promotions for brands like KFC, TurboTax, and Oikos yogurt.
This omission further complicates the matter, fueling speculation about Sanders’ financial transparency.
Darjean recently spoke to Jason Whitlock on “Fearless With Jason Whitlock,” where he detailed in-depth his version of the alleged incident.
According to Darjean, Sanders allegedly said to him at the time: “You know who my daddy is? My daddy’s Deion Sanders. We took over this school and my daddy runs this. If you take me to the principal’s office, this is probably gonna be your last time working here. You might lose your job.”
Sanders’ lawyer stated in a February court filing that “Shilo is the honest but unfortunate debtor looking to get his fresh start in life, free from the oppressive burden of his debts, including the default judgement to the Plaintiff.”
Sanders maintains that he acted in self-defense and an alleged witness made a statement supporting his side of the story.
“What I seen was the student didn’t want to give (Darjean) his phone so (Darjean) kept on asking for it,” according to the witness statement. “Then (Darjean) reached for it and (Shilo) pushed the adult and (Darjean) began to push him and choked him. (Shilo) was yelling, ’I can’t breathe,’ and was crying and yelling; and that’s when adults came over and pulled (Darjean) off of (Shilo).”
Sanders is gearing up for his sixth college football season. His brother and teammate, Shedeur, is one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
Deion has previously stated that he expects both of his sons to ultimately be drafted high in next year’s NFL Draft.
What are your thoughts on this whole messy situation???
It’s safe to say there will be much more to come from this story…