A Boulder County Sheriff’s Office deputy visited the University of Colorado Boulder campus last week during an open practice to serve papers to head football coach Deion Sanders. The deputy was told the coach wasn’t available.
The attempt came as Sanders is being subpoenaed to testify at his son Shilo’s bankruptcy trial, which begins the same week as the Buffs’ season opener at Georgia Tech.
The deputy arrived on campus at 10:22 a.m. Aug. 11 to serve civil papers to Sanders, according to Boulder County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carrie Haverfield. At that time, members of the media and 300 fans were watching an open practice, scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. at Franklin Field. Haverfield said she doesn’t know where, exactly, the deputy went upon arriving on campus.
Sanders was not available at the time to receive the documents, Haverfield said, but CU Boulder staff “were cooperative and assisted the deputy” in identifying a suitable time to complete the process.
“While coordinating with university staff to identify a time for service, our office was contacted by Mr. Sanders’ legal counsel, who indicated they were able to accept the documents on his behalf,” Haverfield wrote in an email to the Daily Camera. “Because his counsel was located outside Boulder County, we transferred the paperwork to the appropriate jurisdiction (Denver) for service.”
Shilo Sanders is the subject of an ongoing bankruptcy case after he filed for bankruptcy in 2023 with more than $11 million in debt. The trial, set to begin on Aug. 31 in Denver, will determine whether he’ll be required to pay the debt.
Michael E. Romero, the judge in the trial, discussed Deion Sanders being called to testify during a pretrial hearing on Friday. That story was first reported by USA Today. The Daily Camera obtained a recording of the hearing.
“I noticed Deion was subpoenaed,” Romero said.
Haverfield would not say whether a subpoena was among the papers the deputy attempted to serve Deion Sanders, or if those papers were related to Shilo Sanders’ bankruptcy case. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t release the content of civil process papers, Haverfield said.
It remains unclear whether Deion Sanders has officially been served the subpoena Romero referenced and whether he will try to fight it.
Romero also noted that the first CU football game is happening the same week as the trial. The CU Buffs will play at Georgia Tech on Sept. 3 to open the season. Romero added that he’s not a CU alum, has no ties to CU and doesn’t have any feelings about it one way or another.
“I’m just recognizing that is a potential issue,” Romero said.
The CU Athletic Department said it doesn’t have any information regarding the situation, and the Daily Camera was unable to reach lawyers representing Deion Sanders and his son.
If Deion Sanders does appear in court, CU law professor Jennifer Hendricks said, because the judge is the one who brought up the football schedule, it “suggests to me that his schedule will be accommodated.” It’s very unlikely they would require Deion Sanders to be at the trial the whole time, she said. Usually, the court will come up with a general schedule for when they expect people to testify, and people are typically called to testify once.
CU law professor Paul Campos said that Deion Sanders’ lawyers would likely negotiate exactly what day he would show up in court, which is up to the judge and trial schedule. And the judge would likely make every effort to ensure Deion Sanders testifies on his scheduled day, Campos said. The trial is scheduled to last five days.
Shilo Sanders filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and now hopes to discharge more than $11 million in debt, which is owed to a former school security guard named John Darjean. Darjean claimed Shilo Sanders assaulted him at a school in Dallas in 2015, when Shilo Sanders was 15 years old, and caused him permanent injuries. Darjean sued and won a $11.89 million default judgment in Texas in 2022 when Shilo Sanders neglected to show up in court.
In this latest case, Romero will determine whether Shilo Sanders acted in self-defense that day or if his actions were willful and malicious. If the judge determines it was self-defense, Shilo Sanders could get out of paying the debt to Darjean. If not, he will be on the hook for the $11.89 million.
The evidence at the trial will be largely limited to the day the incident occurred, Romero said. Deion Sanders was “allegedly on the phone with Mr. Darjean on the date at issue,” Romero said, so that conversation may be relevant.
“I would be surprised if I don’t see a motion to quash,” Romero said. “We’ll deal with that when it comes, if it comes. If it doesn’t, great.”
A motion to quash is a formal request to the court to cancel the subpoena. Campos said there are various grounds for quashing a subpoena.
One way to get out of a subpoena is if it’s a burden to appear in court because it’s too far and expensive, which would not apply to Deion Sanders, Campos said. Other ways to avoid a subpoena would be if the information the person would testify about is privileged, or if the person has no relevant knowledge to offer during the case.
“It’s a hassle, it’s inconvenient,” Campos said. “But his son is in the midst of what sounds like a pretty serious legal dispute, and it’s reasonable to assume Deion Sanders would have some relevant knowledge of some sort.”
The trial will be held in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado in Denver and is scheduled to run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.
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