Deion Sanders was a powerful contributor to U.S. professional sports. Among other successes, Sanders helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to a win in Super Bowl XXX and also lent his considerable talents to several Major League Baseball teams.
The retired Football Hall of Famer now works as a sports commentator. Sanders’ professional accomplishments have been overshadowed recently by personal troubles, including a highly-publicized divorce, child support and custody disputes with his estranged wife Pilar.
The contentious couple’s divorce trial is scheduled for March. The Sanders attended a pre-trial hearing recently to talk about the issues that still divide them.
A family therapist described the effect of the divorce upon the Sanders’ children. The oldest boy called his father after running away from Pilar’s custody and reported that he had been abused.
The therapist told the court the Sanders’ children are caught between parents who make no effort to cooperate. Deion Sanders admitted that he would not talk with Pilar after the divorce is finalized.
Deion and Pilar Sanders currently have split custody. The couple’s two boys live with their father. The daughter resides predominantly with Pilar, who receives $5,500 monthly for child support – an amount Deion Sanders says he can no longer afford.
The former baseball and football athlete felt his children were adjusting well to their parents’ separation. The father felt his children were affected negatively by detailed, published reports about the couple’s marital troubles.
Deion Sanders lamented that his income had suffered proportionately with the divorce’s public exposure. Sanders claimed he lost up to $750,000 in endorsements over bad publicity connected to the couple’s break up.
Some Texas divorce cases may have the same unresolved issues faced by the Sanders, but most are not played out on a public stage. Coming to terms with an ex-spouse without battling in court saves time, expenses and undue stress for all family members affected.
Source: dallasnews.com, “Deion Sanders Says Divorce Has Him “Tapped Out”,” Catherine Ross, Jan. 10, 2013