LAS VEGAS — Colorado football coach Deion Sanders and his player son Shiloh on Wednesday downplayed Shiloh’s impending bankruptcy proceedings and promised the truth will come out about how Shiloh ended up filing for bankruptcy last October with about $12 million in debt.
It was their first public comments since then, both in response to separate questions from reporters during the Big 12 Conference football media day event here at Allegiant Stadium.
“Honestly, you’re not going to win a case by doing that on social media,” Shiloh Sanders told reporters. “At the end of the day, everybody’s going to know the whole truth, so there’s no point in even bothering to do that. So, all’s well and good.”
USA TODAY Sports similarly asked Shiloh’s father how his son is dealing with this potential distraction.
“What do you mean, distraction?” Deion Sanders asked. “Shiloh is a good person. You know what I want you to do? I want you to do this. I want you to do your homework. I want you to research this thoroughly and write about it. I want you to research thoroughly what really happened.”
What is the background?
Shiloh Sanders, Colorado’s leading tackler last year, is bankrupt after a Texas court entered an $11.89 million civil default judgment against him in 2022. The judgment is owed to John Darjeel, a security guard at Shiloh’s former Dallas school, who Darjeel said struck him with a roundhouse kick in 2015, severely damaging Darjeel’s spine and causing permanent injuries.
Shiloh and Deion Sanders disputed Darjean’s version of events, claiming that a security guard was the culprit, not Shiloh, who was only 15 at the time.
However, the security guard sued Shiloh for damages in 2016. And when the case finally went to trial in 2022, Shiloh did not appear, and Darjeel had to give evidence in court without Shiloh present. The court found that Shiloh “assaulted John Darjeel causing actual bodily harm and injury.”
Shiloh is currently seeking to have his significant debt to Darjeel discharged in Colorado bankruptcy court so he can “free himself from the burden of debt and start a new life,” according to his lawyers’ court filings.
In a recent interview, Darjan said the case was investigated by multiple authorities, including police, workers’ compensation authorities and a Dallas civil court, and ultimately decided in his favor. He is fighting the discharge of the debt in bankruptcy court to continue his efforts to collect on Shiloh Sanders’ debt.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer SchrotenboerEmail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
