PROSPER, TEXAS (AP) - Former Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders has been charged with misdemeanor simple assault in the wake of an altercation with his estranged wife that got her arrested at their mansion in suburban Dallas.
Police said late Tuesday that further investigation led to citations against both Deion and Pilar Sanders, who still live together in Prosper.
Police say the charge doesn’t warrant arrest. A police spokesman wouldn’t detail the allegations, but says simple assault could be as simple as touching or jerking from a grip.
A message left with Sanders’ attorney wasn’t immediately returned.
The Hall of Famer tweeted Monday that Pilar had attacked him, and he posted a photo of his children filling out police reports. He later removed the post.
Pilar Sanders was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. She was released Tuesday, maintaining her innocence.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Much like his playing days, Deion Sanders’ tumultuous marriage has had no shortage of flash and drama: A reality TV show, a divorce arrangement in which the couple continued to live together.
And this week, the former Dallas Cowboys star took to social media to tweet that his estranged wife had attacked him at his North Texas mansion, even posting a photo of his children filling out police reports.
A day after Pilar Sanders was arrested, Sanders had removed the photo and posted a different message.
“Joy came this morning and we opened the door and let Joy in,” he tweeted Tuesday.
Pilar Sanders, who was charged with misdemeanor assault and held overnight in county jail, was released Tuesday. Standing outside Collin County Jail, she said she was being treated unfairly.
“I’m a full-time mom, 100 percent for my children,” she said, her voice breaking. “And I just haven’t been given a fair shake.”
Her husband, known as “Prime Time” during his Hall of Fame playing career, is an icon in the Dallas area for spending five seasons as a cornerback with the Cowboys.
Deion and Pilar Sanders have been living in the same home in the Dallas suburb of Prosper, months after Deion filed for divorce in December. Deion’s attorney, Rick Robertson, said both had separate living areas within the large home.
After the alleged attack Monday, Sanders tweeted that his children “just witnessed their mother and a friend jump me in my room. She’s going to jail (and) I’m pressing charges!”
The Sanders’ divorce file is under seal and a judge has placed both sides under a gag order.
Robertson said he didn’t see the tweets as a violation of that order because the alleged attack was a separate issue.
“The assault action that occurred was a criminal action that also constitutes family violence,” he said. “Pilar Sanders was arrested for that and jailed.”
A magistrate judge ordered her Tuesday to stay away from their home for 60 days. The judge also barred her from threatening or harassing her husband, KTVT-TV reported.
Larry Friedman, Pilar Sanders’ divorce attorney, said he can’t comment about her arrest due to the gag order.
“I can tell you that there are two sides to every story and the truth will come out in court,” he said in a statement.
Robertson said Deion Sanders regretted the conflict in his family and “having it aired publicly” for his children to see. He would not say why Sanders tweeted about the alleged incident.
Pilar Sanders is a model who has appeared on several television shows, including a 2008 Oxygen network reality series about their family’s home life, “Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love.” The couple married in 1999.
Deion Sanders, who played for five NFL teams and is now an NFL Network analyst, has three children with Pilar and two from a former marriage.
Separately, Pilar Sanders is suing Deion Sanders; his daughter from his first marriage, Deiondra Sanders; and Prime Time Enterprise Inc., for $200 million in damages. That case is scheduled to go to trial in September.
She is also suing Deion Sanders’ aunt, Laura Jones, alleging Jones assaulted her in February, according to the Dallas Morning News.
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