Judge rules Deion Sanders must testify at son Shilo’s trial
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Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders can't quash the subpoena in his son Shilo’s bankruptcy trial next week.
Judge Michael Romero ruled Coach Prime must be available on Friday, Sept. 4, according to USA TODAY Sports. This comes after Colorado is scheduled to open the season at Georgia Tech the night before.
Sanders' attorney, Harvey Steinberg, argued any testimony provided would be "irrelevant" to the case, but the judge dismissed it, stating he can't duck out. The court ultimately decided Sanders’ schedule wasn't, and he needed to be available via video conference. The trial starts Monday, Aug. 31, in Denver.
Sanders being subpoenaed in the case as a witness has become an unexpected storyline for a few reasons. Two weeks ago, when a Boulder County Sheriff arrived on campus to serve Sanders, he was reportedly "unavailable," despite being out on the practice field during an open practice to the public.
Steinberg, who is one of the most prestigious criminal defense attorneys in the country, has fought to quash the subpoena, saying Sanders' job duties and traveling to Atlanta was unavoidable. However, Judge Romero made accommodations but wouldn't let Sanders off the hook. The bigger question here is why would Sanders require an attorney with Steinberg's background to fight against testifying on his son's behalf?
Colorado is scheduled to be home from Atlanta later in the day on Sept. 4, which left Steinberg to push for an appearance at 3 p.m. local time.
“He has responsibilities to the team,” Steinberg told the court. “It’s not about the timing. It’s about his contractual responsibilities.”
Judge Romero understood the importance of Sanders' coaching, but also wasn't buying into a late appearance for Sanders on the backend. They settled on Sanders appearing via Zoom at 1:30 p.m. MT next Friday.
“It’s either that or we keep him here,” Judge Romero told Steinberg during Thursday's hearing. Romero added that Sanders could take an earlier flight home.
Obviously, Romero isn't playing into the courtroom theatrics. Sanders must be available to enter his testimony virtually next Friday with zero exceptions. The scope of the case will be interesting. Shilo Sanders is trying to wipe out more than $11 million in debt, mostly tied to an alleged 2015 assault of John Darjean, a high school security guard from Dallas.
Sanders filed for bankruptcy back in 2023 while playing for his father in Colorado. The 26-year-old former defensive back is hoping to discharge the massive debt by proving the injuries inflicted on Darjean weren't done with "willful or malicious" intent. On the other hand, Darjean is trying to collect what has already been awarded to him.
Where does Deion Sanders' role before and after the assault come into play? He told Darjean to confiscate Shilo’s phone that day, saying he didn’t want him talking to his mother, Pillar Sanders. She was initially listed on the lawsuit filed by Darjean and his attorneys.
At this point, there will be an ending to a long court battle coming soon. Whether Shilo Sanders will be able to wipe out the debt or not will be decided in a Denver court.
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