NFL legend Deion Sanders' son Shilo could owe $12 million for life: Creditor alleges two punches left school guard with nerve damage, incontinence

Deion Sanders' son Shilo Sanders is facing a fresh challenge in his nearly $12 million bankruptcy battle. The creditor filed a lengthy closing argument urging a judge to keep him responsible for the entire debt. John Darjean, who secured an $11.89 million judgment against the former Colorado football player, has asked the bankruptcy court to prevent Sanders from wiping out the debt and instead enter a federal judgment that could follow him for years.

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In a 53-page court filing submitted on November 9, John Darjean's attorney argued that Sanders' testimony during the recent bankruptcy trial was not credible compared with the evidence presented against him. The filing also urged US Bankruptcy Judge Michael E. Romero to find that Sanders had willfully and maliciously injured Darjean, a legal distinction that could prevent the debt from being discharged through bankruptcy. "The evidence is not close," Darjean's filing stated.


John Darjean has asked a judge not to discharge the nearly $12 million debt owed to him by Shilo Sanders. Sanders filed for bankruptcy to erase the debt, which stems from a 2015 incident that allegedly left Darjean with permanent injuries.

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Why is Shilo Sanders facing a nearly $12 million debt?

The dispute dates back to September 17, 2015, when Sanders was 15 and attending school in Dallas. Darjean, a former security guard at the school, accused Sanders of assaulting him when he attempted to confiscate the teenager's cellphone under school policy. Darjean alleged that Sanders struck him with an elbow in the neck area and punched him twice, leaving him with permanent injuries, including nerve damage and incontinence.

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Darjean filed a lawsuit against Sanders in 2016. However, when the case went to trial in 2022, Sanders did not appear. A Texas court subsequently awarded Darjean a default judgment of $11.89 million. After Darjean began pursuing collection of the money, Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023, seeking to eliminate the debt.

But Darjean challenged the move, arguing that the judgment resulted from a willful and malicious injury. Under bankruptcy law, certain debts arising from intentional injuries cannot be discharged, even when a person files for bankruptcy.

What did Darjean's 53-page filing say about Shilo Sanders?

In the latest filing, Darjean's attorney, Ori Raphael, argued that the evidence presented during the bankruptcy trial overwhelmingly supported his client's account of the 2015 confrontation.

The filing questioned Sanders' credibility and pointed to witness testimony, school records, medical documents and a police report that identified Sanders as the suspect in an aggravated assault.

Darjean's legal team also highlighted inconsistencies in the testimony of two witnesses called by Sanders' defense. Both witnesses had previously made statements about the confrontation that differed from their accounts during the bankruptcy trial.

The filing further argued that Sanders had not identified any unlawful force by Darjean that would justify his actions as self-defense. Darjean's attorney asked the court to declare that Sanders willfully and maliciously injured his client and that the resulting debt should remain non-dischargeable.

The creditor also wants the bankruptcy court to enter its own federal judgment for the amount owed, including interest. According to the filing, this would allow the judgment to be registered and enforced in any US district.

What has Shilo Sanders said about the 2015 incident?

Sanders has disputed Darjean's account of the confrontation. During the five-day bankruptcy trial in Denver, which ran from August 31 to September 4, Sanders testified that Darjean attacked him, choked him and caused him to black out.

He maintained that he was trying to escape the security guard rather than assault him. However, Darjean's legal team challenged this version of events by presenting testimony from multiple witnesses who said they saw Sanders strike Darjean.

The trial also featured questions about missing surveillance footage. While two camera angles of the confrontation were available, a third recording that witnesses reportedly viewed was missing.

Darjean has previously accused Deion Sanders of arranging to have the footage deleted, an allegation that has not been established as fact. The judge must now assess the competing accounts and determine whether the debt qualifies for discharge under bankruptcy law.