Exposed in Court: Shocking testimony and lack of evidence undermine Shilo Sanders bankruptcy case

Shilo Sanders ’ long-running bankruptcy fight took a more combustible turn this week when the former Colorado defensive back finally testified about the 2015 incident that left him facing an $11.89 million judgment, and his account sharply contradicted witnesses who had already appeared in the case.

Sanders , the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders , told the Denver court that he had been the victim during the confrontation with security guard John Darjean, not the aggressor described in the original Texas civil case.

“I was a scared little guy,” Sanders testified, stressing that he was 15 years old at the time. He alleged that Darjean “attacked and assaulted” him while trying to take his cellphone and claimed he was choked hard enough to “black out.”

Sanders also said he was “choke-slammed” into a corner and struck his head during the struggle. “I literally have proof of both of his hands tearing my skin off,” Sanders testified.

The testimony marked the first time Sanders had publicly given his version of the incident under oath after failing to appear for the 2022 civil trial that resulted in the multimillion-dollar default judgment against him.

Witnesses say Sanders was aggressor

The central problem for Sanders is that other testimony presented in the bankruptcy proceeding has painted a dramatically different picture.

Multiple witnesses have said Sanders became angry after being told to surrender his phone and described Darjean as calm throughout the encounter.

One witness testified that Sanders struck Darjean with an elbow before following with two punches. Former school employee Shondra Haynes said she didn't see Darjean choke Sanders and recalled Shilo becoming increasingly agitated.

“There was no stopping him with how mad he was,” Haynes said.

Sanders rejected those accounts during his own testimony: “I don’t know where they were getting that from,” he said.

He maintained that Darjean had no right to physically restrain him and framed his actions as an attempt to escape.

“I was just a young kid that just got attacked by a grown man and just got scared for my life for a second, because I was getting choked,” Sanders testified.

Judge intervenes as tempers flare

The atmosphere became especially tense near the end of Sanders’ testimony when Darjean’s attorney, Ori Raphael , pressed him during questioning. Judge Michael Romero eventually intervened.

“Just stop,” Romero said. “Just ask questions. Just answer his questions. Let’s not get into an argument between the two of you. It’s the end of the day. Tempers are getting a little high.”

That exchange underlined the stakes of the proceeding. Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after Darjean sought to collect the $11.89 million judgment.

Darjean ’s legal team argues the debt should remain because bankruptcy law can prevent obligations arising from a “willful and malicious injury” from being discharged.

Sanders’ attorney, Victor Vital , has argued that his client “acted reactively to escape” and that “there was no intent to injure.”

The original Texas court found that Sanders caused Darjean ’s injuries. The bankruptcy court must now determine whether the debt can be erased despite that judgment.

With the two sides offering fundamentally different versions of what happened more than a decade ago, the case has moved from a financial dispute into a direct credibility battle.