The Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders’ son and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Shilo Sanders is facing a bankruptcy trial in Denver that will run for five days, with $11.89 million at stake.

The trial comes after a lawsuit filed against Shilo in 2016 by his former school’s security guard, John Darjean, who accused Shilo of assaulting and permanently injuring his spine on September 17, 2015. According to Darjean, Deion had asked him to take Shilo’s phone because he didn’t want his son to talk to his mother.

A trial for the case already took place in Dallas in 2022, when Darjean won it as a default judgment, as Sanders didn’t come to the proceedings. Darjean was also awarded the judgment amount of $11.89 million from Shilo. But instead of paying the debt, Shilo filed for bankruptcy in 2023 to erase the debt.

According to Shilo, he was unaware of the trial taking place since he had fired his attorneys and didn’t show up/ respond to any notices about the trial.

Now, the only way for Shilo to get out of clearing the debt is through bankruptcy. According to Section 523 of the bankruptcy law, if the debt stems from a “willful and malicious injury,” Shilo will owe Darjean the amount he was awarded in the civil trial. However, the judge who took over the trial in 2022 found that “Shilo Sanders did in fact cause physical harm and injuries to John Darjean by assaulting him.”

Since the words  “willful and malicious injury” were missing, the bankruptcy trial has taken a legal turn. In a pretrial statement filed earlier, Sanders “contends that his actions were justified in that any force used by (Sanders) was reasonable and immediately necessary to protect himself against (Darjean’s) own use or attempted use of improper force.”

In another turn, some witnesses have testified in favor of Darjean, with one stating that Shilo “punched him right in the face,” while another added that “his elbow caught John on the chest.”

Meanwhile, one of Sanders’ attorneys, Victor Vital, argued that Shilo was “overpowered” by Darjean and acted in self-defense. Meanwhile, Darjean’s attorney, Ori Raphael, claimed that his client “has never touched a man” in 10 years, and therefore it couldn’t be an act of self-defense.

Since the case remains a bench trial, it will not be heard by a jury and instead will be decided by Judge Michael E. Romero. According to reports, videos of the previous testimony held in Darjean’s Texas lawsuit will be used as evidence. Meanwhile, Darjean’s attorney, Ori Raphael, in July told the Judge that “he will bring the popcorn; there’s going to be a lot of videos.”

Now that Day 1 of the case has finished, Shilo’s father Deion only hopes that the truth will come out soon for everyone to see.

Deion comments on Shilo’s trial

A day before the trial, Deion admits hoping that people will see what really happened. He also addressed critics, saying he will forgive them for their judgment.

Although the case has been pending for over a decade, the trial also comes at a tough time for Shilo Sanders. Shedeur’s older brother, Shilo, was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the start of the 2025 regular season and still hopes to continue his football journey despite the hiccups. However, if he doesn’t receive any offers from a team ahead of the 2026 regular season, Shilo will release a new music album and move in a different direction instead.

Darjean, on the other hand, is living in the Dominican Republic after another spinal surgery in May, which he says is related to the 2015 incident with Shilo. Darjean was also a minor-league outfielder for the New York Yankees in 1997.

As the case gains momentum, both parties are seeking clarity now, potentially hoping to end the 11-year-long legal stretch.