July 15, 2026, 7:59 p.m. ET
- A federal judge has made several pretrial rulings in the bankruptcy case of former Colorado football player Shilo Sanders.
- The rulings will determine what evidence is allowed at his upcoming trial regarding an $11.89 million debt owed to a former school security guard.
- The judge may allow expert testimony to counter Sanders’ self-defense claims from a 2015 incident.
A federal judge has issued several pretrial rulings in the bankruptcy case of former Colorado football player Shilo Sanders that will shape the scope of evidence allowed at his coming bankruptcy trial Aug. 31.
Judge Michael Romero held a private hearing about these issues in Denver on July 14, with no outside observers allowed to attend because the requests were filed under seal and relate to evidence when Shilo was a minor in 2015. But the bankruptcy court filed a summary of his rulings July 15.
They all relate to an incident at Sanders’ school in September 2015 — an incident that led him to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023 with more than $11 million in debt, almost all of it owed to one man, John Darjean, a former security guard at the school in Dallas.
Shilo Sanders, 26, is the middle son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders and the older brother of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Judge might allow expert testimony to rebut self-defense argument
The judge partly granted and denied Shilo Sanders’ request challenging possible expert witness testimony for Darjean. The court said it might allow expert testimony “on the issue of whether reasonable force was used in rebuttal to (Sanders’) self-defense arguments.”
Darjean sued Shilo Sanders in 2016, accusing him of assaulting him and causing permanent injuries when he tried to confiscate his phone at school. Sanders claimed self-defense but didn’t show up for the trial in 2022, leading to a $11.89 million default judgment against Sanders. Sanders is now trying to get out of that debt in bankruptcy court, but Darjean is fighting to keep him on the hook for it.
Judge rules on evidence concerning Shilo Sanders’ time at juvenile center
The judge granted Sanders’ request concerning evidence related to his time at the Letot juvenile detention facility in Texas, with one exception — that records containing “party admissions” may be admissible. Such records theoretically could include statements Sanders made at the time. Sanders was taken to the facility the next day after a separate incident at school, according to court records. Darjean was taken to the hospital after the incident, according to court records.
Separately, the judge denied, at least for now, Sanders’ requests to limit evidence about his prior and subsequent disciplinary history and other state agency records involving Sanders. The judge also denied Sanders’ request to limit the timeframe of the inquiry at trial. These denials were made “without prejudice,” which means the judge could change his mind depending on later circumstances.
“The Court will address specific objections relating to the evidence addressed in these Motions after the parties have completed designations of deposition testimony or at trial,” said the order signed by Romero.
What is the Shilo Sanders’ trial about?
It goes back to that incident in 2015, when Shilo Sanders was 15.
A debtor such as Sanders generally can get debt discharged through bankruptcy except under certain exceptions under the law. One exception is if the debt stems from a “willful and malicious injury.” That is what the court will try to determine at trial: Did this $11.89 million debt stem from a willful and malicious injury?
If the court determines it does, then Shilo can’t get out of that debt. If the court determines it came from self-defense or wasn’t willful and malicious, Sanders can get that debt discharged with relatively minimal damage to his bank account.
Sanders played as a graduate student at Colorado in 2023 and 2024. He was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year as an undrafted free agent before moving on to other pursuits such as social media influencing.
Meanwhile, Sanders also has been dogged by other lawsuits related to this case, including one from a law firm that says he owes it $170,000.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com