College sports has largely been able to stay unaffected by the war raging in the middle east. Coaches and athletes have also kept their focus on the game and have only offered simple platitudes in a show of neutrality. Shilo Sanders is not one of them. After getting waived by the Buccaneers, the athlete turned content creator has decided to give everyone a reality check.

In a recent Twitch stream, he played the video game Call of Duty and talked with fans, referencing the current geopolitical scenario.

“I’m not going to lie, this is real life; I would be kicked out of the military,” Shilo said. “No, ya’ll, we might be going to war, so I’m practicing right now… They said we’re going to war soon, so I gotta get right. Y’all didn’t hear we are going to war? And everybody is going to get drafted.”

His comments were about the current conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The military operation started on February 28 and is called “Operation Epic Fury” by the United States. The goal of the operation is to stop Iran’s nuclear and missile programs to ensure safety from future threats in the region.

The sarcasm in the comment is obvious, and not everyone will see a joke about such a topic appropriate. But this isn’t out of character for Shilo. Nor is he the only one who has made light of the situation. Even President Trump was heard making a ridiculous comparison recently.

During a White House roundtable on the future of college sports, which included Nick Saban, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, and many more, President Trump compared the current war to the difficulties of managing college football. This happened after a reporter attempted to inquire about the situation in Iran. Trump jokingly stated that addressing the war in Iran was “easy” compared to the complexities of regulating college sports and the high salaries of football players. A comment he reportedly reconsidered shortly after.

“I saw what was happening with college sports. And it doesn’t sound very important compared to what’s happening in Iran and other places,” he said. “But it is very important to me. And if I can get it done, I’ll get it done.”

Seeing his President try to lighten the mood may have given Shilo some ideas. His track record showin him pulling pranks on people, and as Shilo himself explained, his mentality is more, “I just like to have fun.”

Last year, after the Browns’ game against the Steelers, Shilo Sanders played a funny prank on the fans. He pretended to be his younger brother, Shedeur Sanders, wearing Browns clothes, including Shedeur’s No. 12 jersey.

He also wore dark sunglasses and Shedeur’s diamond “Legendary” chain so people would think he was really his brother. He stood outside Acrisure Stadium waiting for the fans. It worked as many Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers fans believed he was indeed Shedeur. They came to him for pictures and autographs. That shows the extent he will go for some lighthearted fun. Shilo also needs the content material considering his football future is almost certainly over.

Another incident came last year, around July, when he was shooting a promotional video for KFC. During the show, he impersonated his dad, Deion Sanders and teased Shedeur over his unexpected draft fall in the 2025 NFL draft.

“I got another son named Shedeur. He was supposed to go in the first round, but I don’t know what happened,” Shilo mocked, imitating Deion.

The pranks and jokes do hide the very real financial problems facing Shilo right now. Considering the latest lawsuit, it isn’t the war in the middle east that should be his biggest priotity.

Shilo’s legal troubles get worse

In addition to his career struggles, Shilo Sanders is also involved in a lawsuit. A federal bankruptcy judge has set a trial for August 31 to decide if former Colorado football player Shilo Sanders can get rid of more than $11 million in debt. Judge Michael Romero scheduled the trial in Denver, and it will probably last about five days. Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy more than two years ago to try to clear his debt.

The main question in the trial is whether Sanders intentionally hurt a school security guard in 2015. If the court decides that Sanders caused a “willful and malicious” injury, he will still have to pay the $11.89 million he owes to the guard, John Darjean. If the court decides the injury was not intentional, Sanders may be able to erase the debt through bankruptcy.

It all started when Darjean filed the lawsuit in 2016. He says Sanders punched and elbowed him in the neck in 2015 when Sanders was 15 years old, which caused serious and lasting injuries. Darjean says he was trying to take Sanders’ phone at school as part of his job when the incident happened. Sanders has said he acted in self-defense.

Later, Shilo Sanders filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 after John Darjean tried to collect the money he owed. But bankruptcy involves dissolution of all his assets and the value of it being distributed to his creditors. The trustee overseeing it, a man named David Wadsworth, has filed his own lawsuit. Sanders tried to dismiss it but failed.

Wadsworth was able to show there is probable cause to believe that Shilo illegally funneled roughly $250,000 that should have belonged to his creditors.​ The judge was not amused.

“The Trustee has otherwise sufficiently pled the necessary elements of his claims. He has also supported his claims with sufficient factual allegations regarding Sanders’ bank accounts, his NIL proceeds deposits into the Big 21 Account, and Sanders’ control over Big 21 and the Headache Gang. Whether the evidence will ultimately substantiate the Trustee’s claims is a matter to be decided at trial.”

The lawsuit is a dispute over ownership of money Shilo has earned through his NIL businesses, Big 21 LLC and Headache Gang LLC. Another court is now checking if the 2015 incident involving Darjean constitutes “willful and malicious” injury, which under law would make the debt non-dischargeable. As if all of this was not enough, another lawsuit dropped in late 2025. A particular law firm is apparently seeking $164,285.55 for unpaid services related to Shilo’s personal injury and bankruptcy cases.

Shilo may have been using the jokes around the war as a way to deflect attention away from all of this mess in his personal life. But the court dates are set and his fate will be decided over the coming months.