Alright, this one is wild. Deion Sanders, Coach Prime himself, just got deposed in a federal lawsuit alleging fraud, and it’s all tied to that “Prime” logo we see everywhere. We’re talking about a graphic designer, Alan Tipp, who’s accusing the Colorado football coach and his team of flat-out defrauding him over the rights to that iconic branding. This isn’t some small-time spat; this is big-time federal court stuff, and it’s got “Prime” right in the crosshairs.
The Logo’s Origin and How It Blew Up
So, this whole thing kicked off way back in 2011. Alan Tipp, a graphic designer out of Omaha, Nebraska, says he’s the guy who first created the stylized “Prime” and “Truth” logos for Sanders. Guess what? Those designs became huge. They’ve been absolutely central to Sanders’s branding ever since, all the way through his coaching stints at Jackson State and now Colorado. You’ve seen them, right? They were all over Prime Prep Academy when it launched in 2011, and they’ve been plastered on gear for massive commercial partners like Under Armour, Gillette, Jeep, Lamborghini, Aflac, Boost Mobile, and Motorola. Talk about hitting the big time!
The Alleged Promises and the $5 Million Blow-Up
Here’s where it gets messy. According to Tipp, after Sanders landed the Colorado job in December 2022, his brand manager, Sam Morini from SMAC Entertainment, came calling. Morini allegedly wanted Tipp to sign away *all* his past, present, and future rights to those logos. What did Tipp supposedly get promised in return? A spot on Sanders’s brand/marketing team, a chance to help Colorado players build their own brands, work with Nike on Sanders merchandise (even footwear!), and the big one for this story: designing an exclusive line of Sanders sunglasses. But then, Tipp claims Sanders and his team started dodging him right after he signed. Fast forward to April 2023, and SMAC reportedly tells Tipp his sunglasses services aren’t needed. Five months later, what happens? Blenders drops an exclusive Sanders sunglasses line rocking that very “Prime” logo. And get this: it allegedly raked in nearly $5 million in just its first three days of sales! The lawsuit claims there was never any intention to use Tipp’s services, only to fraudulently induce him to give up his rights so they could profit unjustly.
What’s Next for the “Prime” Empire?
This lawsuit, which Tipp first filed in January 2025, just got a major update on July 30, 2026, confirming Sanders’s deposition has already gone down. It names Sanders himself, along with Prime Time Enterprises and SMAC Entertainment, as defendants. Prime Time Enterprises has also been trying to trademark the “PRIME21” design , a cool nod to Sanders’s old NFL jersey number. Out of five applications since February 2023, two have been abandoned, two are still pending, and one is actually registered. SMAC even launched an Amazon storefront, “PRIME21,” selling apparel with the logo. This whole situation is far from over, and with millions of dollars and Sanders’s brand integrity at stake, everyone’s watching how this plays out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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