Deion Sanders is used to being the center of attention. Football fields, press conferences, recruiting battles. You name it. Now, he may have to trade the sideline for the witness stand.
According to USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer, Sanders has been subpoenaed to testify in the upcoming bankruptcy trial involving his son, Shilo Sanders. The trial is scheduled to begin Monday, August 31.
Yes, Coach Prime has another appointment on the calendar. This one does not involve a football.
The presiding judge recently commented on the situation during a pre-trial conference.
“I’m also concerned there’s a game: CU’s first game is that same week,” Judge Michael E. Romero said. “So I can see that coming. I am not a CU alum or I have no ties to CU. So I don’t care. But I’m just recognizing that is a potential issue.”
Deion could file a motion to quash the subpoena.
The bankruptcy case has already attracted plenty of attention because Shilo is Deion’s son and a former Colorado football star. Now, having his famous father called to testify adds another layer to the story.
The case comes down to whether Shilo’s bankruptcy will discharge a debt arising from a lawsuit filed as a result of an incident in 2015. John Darjean, a former security guard at Shilo’s school, claimed that Shilo inflicted injuries on Darjean when he was trying to confiscate Shilo’s phone.
Darjean eventually won a default judgment of $11.89 million, after Shilo didn’t show up to defend himself at trial. The debt can only be discharged through federal bankruptcy laws if it was not a “willful and malicious injury.”
Shilo, who spent time with the Buccaneers last year an undrafted free agent, was allegedly on the phone with Deion before the incident happened. “That conversation may be relevant,” Judge Romero said in the August 14 conference.
For Deion, this is clearly not the kind of attention coaches usually want during the buildup to a football season. Coaches normally worry about injuries, depth charts and whether their quarterback knows the playbook.
And if Deion takes the witness stand, Coach Prime may discover that the courtroom has one rule football never had: there is no halftime speech to escape to.
