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Deion Sanders kids custody battle

Tennessee residents likely know of Hall of Famer football star Deion Sanders for his time in the NFL but they may not have heard about the outcome of his child custody fight with his ex-wife. The athlete is especially known for his unique participation in both professional football and baseball. Recently, full custody of Deion Sander’s children was awarded back to him.

Sanders and his estranged wife filed for divorce back in September of 2011. They share three kids together, two sons ages 11 and 13 and a 9-year-old daughter. After a long child custody battle, Sanders was awarded full custody of his two sons and joint custody of his daughter. The former Dallas Cowboy star will have sole control over where his three children live and will make all of the educational, health, and extracurricular decisions for his two sons.

The former athlete is thrilled with the outcome. He told a courthouse that, “In any war, there will be casualties, but I didn’t want the causalities in this case to be my kids.” His ex-wife told reporters that she was flabbergasted with the results of the case.

When it comes to child custody, as with the case of Deion Sander’s children, deciding who gets physical custody of the children can be a major dilemma. In most cases, the family court will determine the primary caretaker of the children throughout the marriage. This depends on a wide variety of factors and in households that shared many of the parenting responsibilities, it can be very difficult to establish. The court usually awards custody to the parent that will provide the best environment for the child. Sometimes the decision involves sole custody and other times shared or joint custody.

Winning a child custody battle can be a huge victory for any parent. Any parents that resident is going through a divorce or concerned about child custody should consult with an experienced attorney to insure the best options are awarded.

Source: New York Post, “Deion Sanders wins child custody battle, estranged wife Pilar Sanders ‘flabbergasted’,” March 13, 2013

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