With a gag order lifted, Pilar Sanders spoke Thursday about her very public divorce from Deion Sanders, whom she believes is receiving special treatment from the Prosper Police Department due to his celebrity and NFL history.
In recent weeks, allegations of abuse and from both Deion and Pilar were made as the couple addressed an alleged April 23 altercation in a protective order hearing in a Collin County courtroom.
Even though Deion and Pilar were cleared of family violence charges, Judge Ray Wheless ruled in favor of Deion in the protective order hearing Monday and ordered Pilar to stay 500 yards away from the couple's Prosper home.
Pilar said Thursday that she respected the decision of Collin County Judge Ray Wheless, though she didn't agree with it.
Flanked by her lawyers Pete Schulte and Larry Friedman, Pilar ran down a long list of injuries before saying she wasn't sure what the judge believed in the hearing, but that the facts given under testimony should speak for themselves.
"Bruises on my neck from his hands being wrapped around my throat, choking me until I can't breath. Bruises down my back from being slammed into glass doors and a wall. I have a broken arm. I have a smashed, crushed broken thumb that I need surgery for -- uh, bruises on my legs. This isn't something that I would do to myself," Pilar said.
Pilar then said she was being ignored by police and that Deion is receiving favorable treatment because of his celebrity and status as a former member of the Dallas Cowboys and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.
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"My thoughts are, when you live in Dallas and you have a star on the side of your helmet and you're wearing a gold jacket that you have a heck of a load of people behind you. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, you get covered for," Pilar said. "I've gone ... to beg for help from the Prosper Police Department time after time after time. I've gone to the DA's place of business for help, time after time, and I think it's kind of odd that none of my statements were recorded; none of my statements were taken down even concerning the April 23 altercation. Blood all over the floor, but yet there's no evidence of it. However, you have a testimony in audio where a police [sic] is asking me about the blood. You don't even need to connect the dots, they're right in front of your face."
Deion spoke with NBC 5 Monday night after the gag order was lifted and said the divorce case and everything surrounding it were about nothing more than money.
Wheless did not rule on custody of their children. The 10- and 12-year-old boys are going to temporarily live with Deion while the couple's 8-year-old daughter will temporarily live with Pilar.
A child custody hearing is scheduled for May 15. An arbitrator has been brought in to assist with the custody issue.
