Deion Sanders is walking into Colorado’s 2026 season with another legal fight hanging over him, and this one has nothing to do with the scoreboard.
The new case centers on allegations from a graphic designer over the Prime21 logo. The designer says the work was used without permission, and the complaint is seeking remedies tied to that claimed infringement. According to the source material, the logo has shown up on merchandise and promotional materials, and the allegation is that Sanders folded the design into profitable merchandising lines without paying for it.
That accusation lands squarely in the middle of Sanders’ larger branding machine. He has spent years building out the Prime Time identity, and the source says he has also pushed for federal trademark protection on a wide range of his catchphrases, nicknames and commercial symbols. This lawsuit cuts the other way, with the plaintiff said to have worked with federal intellectual property attorneys to track merchandise revenue closely.
The legal mess arrives as Sanders is already dealing with another court battle. Shilo Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023 in an effort to legally discharge an $11.89 million debt. That debt traces back to a 2015 personal injury lawsuit involving a former high school security guard, and Sanders has been subpoenaed to testify.
On the field, Colorado’s ride under Sanders has been just as uneven. He has gone 16-21 across three full seasons from 2023 through 2025, and the results have swung hard from year to year. The Buffaloes opened his tenure by dropping eight of their final nine games in 2023 to finish 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Pac-12 play.
Colorado then surged in 2024, finishing 9-3 in the regular season and tying for first place in the Big 12 standings before a 36-14 loss to BYU in the bowl game dropped the final record to 9-4.
But the momentum didn’t carry over. After losing their core stars, the Buffaloes faded badly in 2025, hit a five-game losing streak down the stretch and finished 3-9.
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Faces Fresh Off-Field Scrutiny At A Tough Time For Colorado
Deion Sanders is once again dealing with off-field noise at a time when the Colorado program could use a clean runway. The latest issue centers on a lawsuit from a graphic designer who alleges unauthorized use of the Prime21 logo on merchandise and promotional materials, adding another layer of distraction around a coach whose arrival in Boulder has kept the Buffs under a constant spotlight.
The broader backdrop makes the timing harder to ignore, with Colorado's performance under Sanders from 2023 through 2025 already under regular scrutiny and every move around the program drawing attention. It also comes on the heels of legal trouble involving his family, including Shilo Sanders filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023 to seek relief from an $11.89 million debt tied to a 2015 personal injury lawsuit, a reminder that the Sanders name has been attached to more than football lately. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Still Missing A Key Transfer As Fall Camp Frustration Grows
Fall camp was supposed to be the next step for Ezra Christensen at Colorado, a chance for the New Mexico State transfer to get settled into the defensive line rotation and start building toward the season. Instead, he remains on the sideline while an eligibility dispute tied to an injunction against the NCAA drags on, leaving the Buffaloes without one of their key newcomers as practice rolls on.
Christensens attorney said a Boulder judge is working on an order tied to the pending motion, but there is still no resolution. Christensen has pointed to similar recent cases in which players were granted injunctions, and the delay has clearly become a source of frustration as he waits for clarity and tries to keep pace with the rest of Colorados preseason preparations. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Volleyball Offers First Look At A Team With Real Expectations
Colorado volleyball will give fans their first real look at a roster carrying more than just offseason buzz when it hosts its Black and Gold scrimmage Saturday at noon inside the CU Events Center. The event is free and open to the public, and it arrives with Jesse Mahoney heading into his 11th season after a summer in which he and his players spent plenty of time talking about where this group is headed and how much it has grown since last year.
There is a reason expectations are higher around this team than they have been in a while. Colorado returns five of seven starters, including leading scorer Ana Burilovic, giving the Buffs a solid core to build around as they prepare for the 2026 season opener Aug. 28 at the Buffs Classic. Saturday will not decide anything, but it should offer a useful glimpse at whether this group looks like a team ready to meet the standard it has set for itself. [Read more 🡒]