Famed former Dallas Cowboys football player Deion Sanders and his estranged wife were entangled in a child custody case filled with scathing testimony for two weeks. Finally, the case has come to a resolution, and the NFL Hall of Famer came out with a relatively favorable outcome.
A jury voted 11-1 determining that Sanders would maintain sole custody and conservatorship of the couple’s two sons — ages 13 and 11. The couple also has a 9-year-old daughter. The jury ruled that Sanders and his wife would share custody and conservatorship of the young girl. However, Sanders was allowed to decide where the couple’s daughter would live.
The former football player was overjoyed at the decision. He said that the well being of his children was always a concern during the case.
Not everyone was happy with the outcome, though. Sanders’ estranged wife said that the fact he was a former member of the Dallas Cowboys weighed against her heavily. The woman’s lawyer said that it was impossible to get a fair trial against a man of his standing in the state of Texas.
Sanders’ lawyer, however, talked to the jury following the decision. He said that jury members did not believe his wife’s allegations that Sanders was abusive toward his children.
The child custody case was especially ugly, with both sides lofting allegations at each other. Sanders’ wife claimed that the former football player kept guns in the home where his children could get at them. Sanders claimed his wife worked for a phone sex line.
The couple must still hash out an agreement concerning visitation, child support and issues over a prenuptial agreement.
In this case, a jury weighed evidence and ultimately decided that the arrangement best benefitted the Sanders children.
Source: CBS DFW, “Jury Makes Decision In Deion Sanders Child Custody Case,” Jason Allen, March 12, 2013