Deion Sanders is headed into Colorado’s 2026 season with another legal headache on his plate.
While his son Shilo Sanders is already dealing with a separate court fight tied to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing from October 2023 and an $11.89 million debt from a 2015 personal injury lawsuit involving a former high school security guard, Deion Sanders has now been pulled into another case of his own. He has been subpoenaed to testify in that matter.
The new lawsuit centers on a graphic designer’s claims involving the Prime21 logo. According to the complaint, the designer says the work was used without authorization, and the suit is seeking remedies for the alleged infringement. The logo has shown up on merchandise and promotional material tied to Sanders’ personal brand.
The plaintiff says Sanders folded the design into profitable merchandise lines without paying for it. The filing also says the plaintiff worked with federal intellectual property attorneys to closely monitor merchandise revenue.
That claim lands right in the middle of the branding machine Sanders has spent years building. He has pushed for federal trademark protection on a wide range of catchphrases, nicknames and commercial symbols tied to his “Prime Time” identity.
On the field, Sanders’ run at Colorado has been every bit the high-wire act. Through three full seasons from 2023 through 2025, he has gone 16-21 overall. The attention has been massive, but the wins have not kept pace.
Colorado opened Sanders’ first season by losing eight of its final nine games and finishing 4-8 overall, including 1-8 in Pac-12 play. In 2024, the Buffaloes surged to a 9-3 record and finished tied for first in the Big 12 standings, then ended up 9-4 after a 36-14 loss to BYU in their bowl game.
Last season, the momentum disappeared. After losing key stars, Colorado slid hard, dropped five straight to close the year and finished 3-9 in 2025.
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It comes on top of a separate financial story involving Shilo Sanders, who filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023 tied to a personal injury lawsuit from years earlier. For a Colorado program that has already lived through noticeable swings in performance from 2023 through 2025, the challenge is not just managing the roster and results, but keeping the attention on football long enough to build something steadier. [Read more 🡒]
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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 🡒]