Shilo Sanders, the son of Deion and a member of the Buccaneers during the 2025 offseason program and preseason, hopes to discharge an $11.89 million civil judgment through the federal bankruptcy laws. The trial on that specific question began on Monday.
So far, it’s not going well.
Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today has the recap. The question is whether injuries Shilo inflicted on John Darjean in 2015 were “willful and malicious.” If not, the debt will go away. If so, he’ll still be on the hook for it.
Multiple witnesses testified via prerecorded video about the incident. One saw Shilo hit Darjean with an elbow in the throat before punching him twice. Another saw Shilo punch Darjean in the face, “unprovoked.” Another said Shilo’s conduct was “aggressive” and “volatile.”
Shilo’s lawyers claim that he had been “overpowered” by Darjean during the altercation. Obviously, they’ll need to introduce evidence that overcomes the initial witnesses presented by Darjean.
Darjean worked as a security guard at Shilo’s school. The incident happened after Darjean tried to confiscate Shilo’s phone.
Meanwhile, Deion posted a video on Monday expressing support for Shilo. “Praying for my baby . . . that people see what really transpired,” Deion Sanders said, per Schrotenboer. To any who doubt Shilo’s version that he was acting in self-defense, Deion said, “We going to forgive you for your judgment.”
The problem for Shilo is that he didn’t show up for the trial of the personal injury case, resulting in a default judgment and a massive verdict.
Deion will testify remotely on Friday, if (and only if) Shilo’s lawyers open the door to potential testimony from Deion regarding the reason(s) for Shilo not wanting to lose access to his phone.
The case will be decided by the presiding judge, not a jury. Which means that, in the end, the judge will have to decide whether the full scope of the evidence does or doesn’t point to “willful and malicious” behavior by Shilo.
The stakes for Shilo are considerable. If Shilo prevails, he can move forward with his life unfettered by an eight-figure financial obligation to Darjean. If Shilo loses, he will constantly be faced with efforts to collect on the obligation, with statutory interest constantly being added to the unpaid amounts.
