The former Colorado QB, Shilo Sanders, is back again in the spotlight for his pending legal case. However, the son of head coach Deion Sanders has made one request to the court before his trial on August 31.

The 26-year-old has requested that a federal bankruptcy court prospectively seal the complete trial transcript and all exhibits submitted as evidence. This legal maneuver was brought to light in an August 3 court filing by USA TODAY. He has formally intervened to oppose the secrecy request, citing a First Amendment right of public access. 

Sanders’ attorney, Victor Vital, filed a response under seal proposing that the in-person trial proceedings can remain open. But the comprehensive written record, transcripts, and evidence exhibits should remain permanently hidden from public view. His defense argues that the records contain highly sensitive, private details dating back to when Sanders was a minor. 

Sanders’ team claims that because of his father, Deion Sanders’ fame, the national media will “sensationalize” and misinterpret the raw evidence exhibits. That will lead to a public trial by media that could damage Shilo’s future professional career.

USA Today formally intervened in the bankruptcy case, hiring a specialized legal team to block the sealing request. The media contends that the public has a constitutional right to view judicial records, especially in a bankruptcy case in which a public figure is seeking to legally erase an $11 million debt.

The bankruptcy trustee is currently accusing Sanders of hiding his NIL earnings. The media company argues that sealing the exhibits would completely hide potential financial fraud from public accountability.

Attorneys representing USA Today argued that Sanders is burying the request to escape media scrutiny. They asserted there is “absolutely no basis” to grant a high-profile, wealthy athlete special privacy privileges over a standard bankruptcy case.

“There is absolutely no basis to seal, prospectively, any trial transcript or any evidence in this run-of-the-mill bankruptcy case, nor is there any basis to treat Defendant (Shilo Sanders) as somehow special because of his notoriety (indeed, it counsels exactly the opposite—no trial defendant should be given such a special privilege because of his fame and wealth),” said the reply from USA TODAY‘s attorneys at Zansberg Beylkin.

Judge Romero previously denied a request by Sanders to completely ban certain juvenile detention center records from being used as trial evidence. The judge has ruled that, for any specific document to be sealed, Sanders’ team must prove one thing. It should be a highly specific, overwhelming harm that outweighs the public’s right to know. Generic claims of “media embarrassment” will not suffice. 

What is the bankruptcy case about?

This bankruptcy case dates back to 2015. It stems from Shilo Sanders trying to legally erase a massive $11.89 million debt from a high school assault allegation. Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2023 to wipe his financial slate clean. However, the man he owes the money to is fighting the bankruptcy, claiming the debt cannot legally be dismissed. 

When Shilo Sanders was a 15-year-old high school student, he was involved in a physical altercation in Texas. John Darjean, a school security guard, alleged that Sanders brutally assaulted him during a confrontation over a cellphone. The attack caused him severe, permanent injuries to his neck and spine.

In 2022, a Texas civil court ordered Sanders to pay Darjean $11.89 million. Sanders did not appear at trial to defend himself, resulting in a default judgment against him.