As one Sanders brother prepares for his first NFL start, another finds himself in quite the legal predicament.
Shilo Sanders, brother of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and son of NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, has been sued by Barnes & Thornburg LLP for allegedly not playing the firm more than $164,000 in bills and interest, according to USA Today.
The Nov. 17 lawsuit is reportedly connected with services the firm provided after Sanders was sued for allegedly assaulting a security guard in Dallas in 2015.
Shilo Sanders during the 2023 college football season. AP
Sanders, 25, then filed for bankruptcy last year in an attempt to avoid liability for the roughly $12 million verdict from a Texas court.
Barnes & Thornburg contends it “delivered the legal services and incurred the costs” from May 1, 2024 and Aug. 26, 2024.
Sanders allegedly owes the plaintiff $164,285.55, including $10,967.91 in interest.
“Mr. Sanders, however, failed to pay the amounts reflected the invoices presented to him, and has not tendered payments in response to Plaintiff’s efforts to obtain payment of the outstanding invoices,” the lawsuit filed in a Dallas federal court states, according to the outlet.
The lawsuit reportedly states that Sanders learned last August that the attorney handling his lawsuit would be heading to a new company, but he would still owe the firm the costs incurred.
Sanders allegedly then ended his agreement with Barnes & Thornburg and continued with the departing firm member, according to the report.
Shilo Sanders during the 2025 preseason. Getty Images
The assault lawsuit from 2016 that Sanders contested stated that the man he attacked “sustained severe and permanent injuries including a broken neck, damage to his cervical spine, permanent neurological injuries and irreversible incontinence.”
The case went to trial in 2022 but Sanders did not show, and the courts ruled that Sanders committed assault and battery and owed John Darjean $11.89 million.
He then filed for bankruptcy, and that case is pending, per USA Today.
The trustee in the case filed a complaint against Sanders alleging that he violated the law with an unauthorized $250,000 transfer, according to the publication.
Sanders is a free agent after the Buccaneers waived him in August after he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent.
During his limited time with the team, he received a fine for throwing a punch during a preseason game.
He played alongside brother Shedeur under Deion at Colorado, and Shedeur is preparing for his first NFL start this Sunday against the Raiders.
