
Buccaneers rookie safety’s bankruptcy case continues to cast a shadow Sanders, Shilo – When the deadline to remove players arrives next week, rookie safety Shilo Sanders of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be in a tight race to make the 53-man roster. Even while this week is “very important” in deciding who gets the nod, including for a preseason game against Buffalo on August 23, Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles recently stated that Sanders is a “very hungry” athlete. Meanwhile, the man Sanders owes over $11 million has a vested interest in Sanders’s current financial situation, possibly more so than anybody else.x
John Darjean was a security guard at Sanders’ Dallas school when he was fifteen years old, and that man is him. In 2023, Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but he is still attempting to have that debt erased in bankruptcy court. Sanders is the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders. With any luck, Shilo Sanders will be able to wipe the slate clean and start over financially if he wins in court.
Sanders will not be released from his obligation to Darjean if Darjean wins the case instead. The experts contacted by USA TODAY Sports said that once the lawsuit concludes, Darjean may try to recover debts from him, which may involve the Buccaneers garnishing his earnings. If that were the case, Darjean would likely desire Sanders “to make as much money as possible – or at least enough to pay (Darjean’s) claim,” according to Angela Littwin, a law professor and bankruptcy expert at the University of Texas.
Despite their lengthy history of legal animosity, Darjean has a personal stake in Sanders joining the squad. On August 26, NFL clubs are required to reduce their rosters to 53 active players. The decision on Sanders’ $11 million debt will be made by a bankruptcy judge at a later date, potentially before the year ends. Despite not being picked by any NFL clubs in April, 25-year-old Sanders inked a nearly $3 million, three-year deal with Tampa Bay. Regarding Sanders’ future possibilities, Darjean chose not to comment.
For what reasons is Shilo Sanders declaring bankruptcy?
An event that occurred in September 2015 between Sanders and Darjean is the cause of the debt. Sanders allegedly attacked Darjean with his fist and elbow in 2015 as the latter was attempting to seize his phone from the school. Darjean suffered significant injuries, including chronic pain and incontinence, as a result of the assault, according to earlier court filings. According to the records, he was sent to the hospital that very day and had spinal surgery a few days later.
Damages for the injuries were sought by Darjean in a 2016 lawsuit against Sanders. Sanders went on to file counterclaims and assert a claim of self-defense. However, Sanders failed to appear at the trial that was finally held in 2022 after the case had dragged on during the epidemic. Sanders fired his lawyers in 2020, so he never heard about the trial and missed out on a chance to prevent the worst possible outcome.
Sanders was found guilty by default and ordered to pay Darjean $11.89 million at the conclusion of the trial, which proceeded without him. In 2023, when Darjean attempted to collect on that obligation, Sanders filed for bankruptcy in the hopes of having it discharged.
What happens next in the bankruptcy case of Shilo Sanders?
In most cases, debtors can “stay” or halt collection efforts against them and get their debts discharged by filing for bankruptcy. This is legal and occasionally employed as a strategy. The law, however, considers some debts to be “nondischargeable,” meaning that they cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
As part of his efforts to recover his debts, Darjean included this in two bankruptcy court cases he filed against Sanders. Legally, Sanders should not have been discharged because he failed to disclose or concealed assets, an assertion that Sanders’ lawyers refuted. Because it is based on an injury that was “willful and malicious,” the other complaint contends that the obligation cannot be discharged.
In the second instance, the court has to decide whether the victim received a “willful and malicious” injury or if the defendant acted in self-defense. After hearing testimony from witnesses and other evidence in a mini-trial regarding what transpired that day a decade ago, that judge is likely to make that determination. The trial date is still pending.
A range of potential results for Shilo Sanders. Sanders may be able to have the debt erased and protected from additional debt collection and wage garnishments if the court finds reasonable proof that he acted in self-defense. Under this plan, Darjean would obtain a pitiful percentage of Sanders’s pre-bankruptcy assets, leaving him with far less than he was due. Buccaneers rookie safety’s bankruptcy case continues to cast a shadow Sanders
Sanders may still be liable to pay the full judgment even after the bankruptcy case concludes if the judge finds that it was not self-defense but rather “willful and malicious.” This would mean that the debt is not dischargeable.
Christopher Hampson, an associate law professor and bankruptcy expert at the University of Florida, stated that if the $11 million is determined to be nondischargeable, Darjean may be able to proceed with debt collection once the bankruptcy case concludes and the automatic stay is lifted. Serving a writ of garnishment on Sanders’ employer, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, would direct the Bucs to send a portion of Sanders’ paycheck to Darjean, who may then attempt to collect on the $11 million after the bankruptcy. Federal law protects Sanders in that legal action by limiting garnishment to 25% of his post-tax income.
In other cases, it might be substantially lower, depending on the specifics. Darjean may be able to limit Sanders’s ability to garnish wages even further if state legislation were to aid.
If Shilo Sanders isn’t selected in Tampa, what then?
He may receive an opportunity with another team or wind up on the practice squad. I don’t see him being able to find work that pays as well as being a rising star on an active NFL squad if his time in the NFL doesn’t work out. Darjean wants Sanders to make the squad and do well in the NFL so he can amass enough money to pay off the judgment if it goes unpaid. Buccaneers rookie safety’s bankruptcy case continues to cast a shadow Sanders
If the debtor is unwilling to comply, the creditor may have a tough time pursuing collection efforts and seizing personal property to fulfill a judgment. Sanders may seek to avoid debt collection by use attorneys and legal loopholes.
According to Theresa J. Pulley Radwan, a law professor at Florida’s Stetson University, “Most people honestly don’t have enough personal property to make it worth going after.” “We probably don’t own anything valuable enough to recover a substantial judgment.”
Things change when the debtor has a lot of money. The NFL’s future prosperity would make that a certainty. At Atlanta, Tampa Bay will kick off their season on September 7. Until 2024, Sanders would only assure reporters that “at the end of the day everybody is gonna know the truth about everything.” After then, she refused to address the subject further. Buccaneers rookie safety’s bankruptcy case continues to cast a shadow Sanders