Sanders shrugs off legal woes ahead of season opener

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders addressed impending legal proceedings as his team gears up for their September 3rd season opener against Georgia Tech. Sanders was subpoenaed to appear in his son Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy trial, scheduled to commence just three days before the game. He was also recently deposed in a lawsuit filed by a graphic designer claiming unpaid compensation for logos used on Sanders' personal brand merchandise and Colorado apparel.

Sanders, entering his fourth season as head coach in Boulder, dismissed the notion that these legal situations are distractions. He stated, "When you have 'it.' When you 'him.' When you 'that', you get sued." He also noted that any legal challenges are simply "off-the-field foolishness." His lawyer has filed a motion to dismiss the subpoena for Shilo's trial and is seeking a protective order against further attempts by the plaintiff.

Shilo Sanders filed for bankruptcy in 2023 following a 2022 default judgment ordering him to pay over $11 million in damages. This stems from a 2016 lawsuit related to an alleged physical altercation in 2015. Deion Sanders maintains his son has done nothing wrong and "already won this case." Separately, a federal lawsuit filed in Nebraska in January 2025 by graphic designer Alan Tipp seeks over $75,000 from Sanders and his agency for alleged logo use without compensation.

Despite the legal complexities, Deion Sanders appeared unbothered during a recent news conference. He expressed a philosophy that "anyone that's a game changer... is not dealing with some type of lawsuit," implying these are standard occurrences for influential figures.