Why Colorado, Deion Sanders Can Handle Distractions of Shilo Sanders' Bankruptcy Trial

Former Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders filed for bankruptcy in 2023 while he was still a member of the Colorado program, and now Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders is reportedly involved in the latest trial developments before the 2026 season.

Deion Sanders Subpoenaed

According to USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer, "Coach Prime" has been subpoenaed and called to testify in Shilo's bankruptcy trial, which is currently scheduled to take place from Aug. 31 through Sept. 4.

colorado buffaloes deion sanders shilo sanders brankruptcy trial subpoena testify georgia tech yellow jackets regular season — Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders (28) watches a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Those dates conflict with Colorado's regular season opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Sept. 3, putting Sanders at odds with the potential of having to testify. According to Schrotenboer, the scheduling conflict came up during a pretrial conference with Judge Michael Romero wondering if Sanders will try to fight the subpoena:

“I’m also concerned there’s a game: CU’s first game is that same week,” Judge Romero said, per USA Today. “So I can see that coming. I am not a CU alum or I have no ties to CU. So I don’t care. But I’m just recognizing that is a potential issue.”

Shilo Sanders ended his Colorado career with 137 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack in two seasons before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. After being released by Tampa Bay, Sanders has been busy creating content online.

Will the latest updates in his bankruptcy trial have an impact on his former team?

Little Impact on the Colorado Buffaloes

How the legal matters of Shilo Sanders are resolved, and Deion Sanders' role in that, remain to be seen, but Colorado fans are likely wondering how the latest events might impact the Buffaloes as a pivotal season is around the corner.

Ideally, "Coach Prime" wouldn't have any distractions heading into week 1, but if anyone can handle off-field distractions, it's likely the former Super Bowl champion, All-Pro defensive back, and two-sport star in Sanders.

While Colorado's two new coordinators might be cause for concern, both offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and defensive coordinator Chris Marve bring some experience to their respective positions. Minimizing distractions is already important for a team on the road like Colorado will be against Georgia Tech, but the Buffaloes have experience both on the coaching staff as well as on the roster.

Marion even has experience as a head coach, giving the Buffaloes a good amount of perspective and experience on the coaching staff. Should Sanders be pulled away from the team to deal with Shilo Sanders' trial, it's unlikely he would be away for long. Even in that case, Colorado has coaches on staff that can "steer the ship."

The extent to which, if at all, Sanders will have to testify is unclear. As a result, it's unclear if the trial will have any affect on "Coach Prime" or the Buffs team before their first game.

The team might have new faces at nearly every position, but Colorado brought in experienced transfers across the board, including wide receivers like Danny Scudero and DeAndre Moore as well as defensive backs like Naeten Mitchell and Randon Fontenette. Will that experience pay off and help the Buffs come together quickly in order to compete against the Yellow Jackets in week 1?

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