Deion Sanders Brushes Off Legal Headaches as Routine Challenges Ahead of Season Opener

Deion Sanders rejected the notion that his ongoing legal issues are distracting him as Colorado prepares for its season opener on September 3 against Georgia Tech.

Entering his fourth year as head coach in Boulder, Sanders faces multiple legal proceedings in the coming weeks. He has been subpoenaed to testify in the bankruptcy trial of his son, Shilo Sanders, which begins Monday—just three days before the Colorado-Georgia Tech game. Additionally, Sanders was deposed in late July regarding a lawsuit from graphic designer Alan Tipp, who claims Sanders reneged on agreements related to logos used for his personal brand, according to court records.

“Is that a distraction? Do you think that’s my first subpoena?” Sanders said at a press conference Monday. “When you have ‘it,’ when you ‘him,’ when you ‘that,’ you get sued. There’s off-the-field foolishness that if somebody really sat down and explained it to you, you’d say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’”

Last week, Sanders’ attorney Harvey Steinberg filed a motion to dismiss the subpoena for Sanders to appear at his son’s trial in Denver. Court documents show Sanders is among 13 witnesses prosecutors intend to call. Steinberg also sought a protective order to prevent future subpoena attempts by the plaintiff in the case. Judge Michael E. Romero has scheduled a video hearing on the motion for Thursday.

Shilo Sanders filed for bankruptcy in 2023 following a 2022 default judgment requiring him to pay over $11 million to John Darjean, a former high school security guard. That judgment stems from a 2016 lawsuit filed after an incident at Shilo’s school in Dallas in 2015. Darjean claimed a physical confrontation with the then-15-year-old caused him permanent injury.

Despite his father’s public comments, it remains unclear what Deion Sanders meant when he suggested his son had previously “won” the case. In 2019, Shilo reached a confidential settlement with his former school, Focus Learning Academy, and its founder Leroy McClure, USA Today reported. However, the judge noted that settlement does not impact other pending claims, including those brought by Darjean.

Sanders also faces a lawsuit from Alan Tipp, who alleges he designed the “Prime” logo used on Blenders sunglasses and Colorado merchandise without compensation. Sanders filed a declaration stating the logos were part of his prior agreement with Under Armour.

Tipp’s federal lawsuit in Nebraska, filed in January 2025, seeks more than $75,000 in damages from Sanders and his management company, SMAC Entertainment.

Throughout Monday’s press conference, Sanders remained unfazed by questions about lawsuits and distractions. “It is what it is,” he said. “I don’t know anyone that’s a game changer, a way maker that’s not dealing with some type of lawsuit.”

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