Shilo Sanders $170,000 unpaid legal bills lawsuit takes dramatic turn amid $12 million bankruptcy battle

It's safe to say that Shilo Sanders ' football career didn't go as planned. Despite starting games with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2020, he followed his father, head coach Deion Sanders , to Jackson State and then Colorado to play under him.

Sanders put together solid stats, but the NFL wasn't too fond of his skillset. After a preseason stint in 2025 that featured him getting ejected from a game, Sanders was subsequently released . Now, Sanders has practically admitted that his NFL career is over .

While all of this was happening, Sanders was also embroiled in financial problems stemming from a legal issue . Sanders had attacked a security officer in 2015, and was later ordered to pay nearly $12 million in damages . Unable to pay it, Sanders had to file for bankruptcy in 2023 . He declared he had $11.3 million in liabilities .

Shilo Sanders avoids $170,000 legal bill, but $12 million lawsuit still hangs over his head

Sanders is far from out of the clear, but he was at least able to settle a different debt this week . A lawsuit filed against him in Dallas by a law firm that previously helped him for $170,000 in unpaid legal fees has now been dropped . It's likely there was an outside settlement between the two parties.

Sanders is still awaiting word on his bankruptcy claim , with the final verdict expected later this year. If he doesn't win his bankruptcy battle, he will have to somehow find a way to pay almost $12 million.