Deion Sanders, ex-wife were apart at senior day celebration for sons Shedeur and Shilo: 'Like WWIII'

Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders wanted to celebrate with both his parents on senior day Friday. 

He wanted this so much he went to find his mom, Pilar, and convinced her to participate in the event, even though his father, head coach Deion Sanders, was there, according to dialogue between Shedeur and brother Shilo in a video posted to the official Shilo Sanders YouTube channel.

"My brother [Shedeur] just got my mom from the stands cause of the senior day, and we didn’t know we had to walk. They’re not gonna. That’s like World War III trying to get them to walk together," Shilo said. 

Shilo Sanders, head coach Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes walk on the field during a senior day celebration before a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

Shedeur and Shilo walked with Deion across the field during their celebration, and they met their mother on the other side, according to the video. Deion patted his sons on the back when they got close to Pilar, then walked away quickly. 

Pilar then hugged her boys at the middle of the field as they celebrated and posed for photos. 

Colorado won its last home game 52-0 against Oklahoma State. 

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Deion and Pilar got married in 1999. At the time, she was a model, and he was an NFL star at the height of his fame as a player. Together they had Shilo, Shedeur and daughter Shelomi. 

The couple filed for divorce in 2013. It was Sanders' second divorce. He split from his first wife, Carolyn Chambers, in 1998, one year before marrying Pilar. Deion and Chambers had two children together — Deion Jr. and Deiondre.

In his 2013 divorce with Pilar, Sanders won custody of all three of the couple's children initially, and Pilar was awarded visitation rights. Still, there were custody battles later. 

Prior to the divorce being finalized, Pilar alleged a prenuptial agreement between her and Deion was forged in 2012. She was seeking to get more money in alimony and child support payments from the Pro Football Hall of Famer. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks to the sideline before a game against Texas Tech Nov. 9, 2024, in Lubbock, Texas.  (AP Photo/Annie Rice)

"It's greed," Deion said in court at the time. "You signed the contract. We had a prenuptial, and now you don't like the terms of it because of the realization that it's over, your lifestyle will no longer be the same way. It's greed."

The judge who oversaw the dispute said Pilar Sanders signed the agreement, that she did so voluntarily and that she cannot bring a claim that it is invalid before the court again.

"It's David and Goliath," Pilar's attorney, Larry Friedman, said, according to NBC Dallas-Forth Worth. "We stay the course. We're the underdog, and it's hard to win when you play by the rules."

"I didn't marry hm for money, obviously," Pilar told NBC Dallas-Forth Worth. "I've been married to him for 14 years. My intent was to marry forever, but, obviously, it wasn't his."

Deion also filed a defamation lawsuit against Pilar, claiming she tarnished his reputation with allegations of domestic violence. Deion won that lawsuit, and an investigation found no evidence to support Pilar's claims. 

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) and head coach Deion Sanders after a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field. (Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports)

Pilar later won custody of her two youngest children, Shedeur and Shelomi, in 2017. Still, Deion has been a heavy presence in Shedeur's life throughout his college career as his head coach at both Jackson State and Colorado. 

Deion has said he devoted himself to Christianity shortly after his first divorce. Sanders opened up about his devotion to Christ during an interview on "Running Wild" with Bear Grylls in November 2023.

"That's when I went through my first divorce in which the only things that I knew that truly loved me were my two kids. Now they're gone, now they've been taken away. It was devastating, and I went through suicidal thoughts, a suicidal period," Sanders said. 

"I ran this car off the side of the highway, and, at the bottom, I thought this car would just flip, and it didn't flip. And I was still there. Shortly after that, I just had to come to the Lord with my hands up and say, 'I'm done. I can't do it anymore. You got me. I give up. God, you take me.'"

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.