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- Deion Sanders is being sued by a graphic designer who claims to have created the “Prime” logo without proper compensation.
- Sanders asserts the logos were part of his previous endorsement deal with Under Armour, which began in 2011.
- Sanders’ legal team argues that Under Armour, not the designer, owned the rights to the logos and allowed Sanders to use them after their deal ended.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has fired back in court against a lawsuit that accuses him of ripping off a graphic designer who claimed he created the “Prime” logo for Sanders and wasn’t compensated for it.
An attorney for Sanders filed several documents in the case late Friday, Aug. 21, including a declaration from Sanders himself.
Sanders claims the logos in question were part of his previous endorsement deal with the sports apparel company Under Armour, which he signed in April 2011. Designer Alan Tipp claims otherwise and sued Sanders and his business agency, SMAC Entertainment, in January 2025, seeking a judgment against them in excess of $75,000. The lawsuit remains pending in federal court in Nebraska.
“At the time I signed with Under Armour, I had used the terms ‘Prime’ and ‘Truth’ in various personal and business ventures,” Sanders stated in his declaration filed in court Aug. 21. “After working with Under Armour for many years, my endorsement deal with Under Armour ended in or around July 2023. After my deal with Under Armour ended, I continued to use the trademarks in connection with my businesses, including the logos that incorporated my jersey number. No one at Under Armour, or anyone else, objected to my use of these logos until this lawsuit was filed.”
Tipp’s lawsuit said he created the P21ME and TRUTH logos for Sanders in 2011, which blends his old No. 21 jersey number with his nickname as Prime Time and Coach Prime. The P21ME logo later was used on Blenders sunglasses, Nike products and other gear after Sanders became head coach at Colorado in December 2022.
Tipp’s complaint alleges he was induced to sign a “work-for-hire agreement” in which Tipp would relinquish his rights to the logos effective Aug. 1, 2011. He claims he signed the agreement based on false promises that he would be part of Sanders’ marketing team after that.
But Sanders’ attorney, Michael Kump, contested those claims in documents filed Aug. 21 as part of an effort to have the lawsuit thrown out of court with a summary judgement ruling. The documents state Under Armour engaged design company Eyeking to create sunglasses with Tipp working as the director of design. They noted Tipp has never owned copyrights to the logos.
“Pursuant to Tipp’s employment agreement with Eyeking and Eyeking’s license agreement with Under Armour, all rights in the logos were automatically assigned to, and owned by, Under Armour,” said the brief filed by Sanders’ attorney. “Although the Under Armour sunglass line that Eyeking created for Sanders did not succeed commercially, Under Armour began using the PRIME and TRUTH logos shown above on other branded Under Armour products. When Sanders’ endorsement deal with Under Armour ended, the company allowed him to take over the use of the trademarks.”
Sanders left Under Armour in 2023 and returned to Nike, which has had an apparel deal with the University of Colorado since 1995.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com