Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Former NFL player and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders
Did Colorado Buffaloes coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders defrauding the graphic designer who created his “Prime” logo?
That’s what Alan Tipp alleged in a recent lawsuit filed against Sanders and his representatives. Tipp alleges that Sanders and company fraudulently induced him into signing away his rights to a pair of logos he first created in 2011.
Sanders has used the two logos, which read “Prime” and “Truth,” as staples of his branding during stints at both Colorado and Jackson State.
What Is Deion Sanders Accused Of In Fraud Lawsuit?
Front Office Sports reports that according to Tipp, Sanders’s brand manager approached him shortly after taking the Colorado job and sought to have Tipp sign all past, present, and future rights to the logos over to Sanders.
In return, Tipp claims he was told that he would become a part of Sanders’s brand/marketing team; help Colorado football players build their own brands; work with Nike on Sanders-related merchandise, including footwear; and be retained to design an exclusive Sanders sunglasses line.
Tipp never received those things, and claims both Sanders and his representatives avoided him after the presumed agreement.
“There was never any intention of utilizing Tipp’s services or compensating him for the creation of the Works upon Tipp’s execution of the Agreement,” the claim reads. “Rather, Defendants’ objective was to fraudulently induce Tipp into relinquishing his rights in the Works so they could continue to profit greatly and unjustly from their use, at Tipp’s continued expense, and to attempt to avoid culpability, financial, legal, or otherwise for all of their past and continued use of the Works.”
Deion Sanders Is Now Part Of Multiple Court Battles
The news of the fraud case comes the same week that Sanders was served court papers in relation to his son Shilo’s ongoing bankruptcy case.
“While coordinating with university staff to identify a time for service, our office was contacted by Mr. Sanders’ legal counsel, who indicated they were able to accept the documents on his behalf,” sheriff’s department spokesperson Carrie Haverfield wrote in an email to the Daily Camera. “Because his counsel was located outside Boulder County, we transferred the paperwork to the appropriate jurisdiction (Denver) for service.”
Sanders is expected to appear as a witness at the bankruptcy trial the same week that the Colorado Buffaloes begin their season versus Georgia Tech on September 3.