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Thursday, March 6, 1997

Divorce petition filed against Deion Sanders

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) - Deion Sander's on-again, off-again divorce is back in state district court after the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver-cornerback's wife accused him of adultery.

Judge John Roach on Monday granted Carolyn Sanders a temporary restraining order against the player and awarded her temporary custody of the Sanders' 6-year-old daughter, Deiondra, and 3-year-old son, Deion Jr.

Roach's order gave Mrs. Sanders, 31, exclusive use of the couple's Plano residence and automobiles in her possession, according to The McKinney Courier-Gazette.

The newspaper said Sanders, 29, also is required to pay an undisclosed amount of child support. Roach's order also prohibits Sanders from destroying documents the court could use to order a division of the couple's assets.

Besides adultery, the petition also alleges cruel treatment and personality conflicts as divorce grounds.

Sanders' telephone number was not listed. Darlene G. Darensburg, his attorney for the September divorce petition, did not immediately return a telephone call Wednesday from The Associated Press.

Roach appointed State District Judge Curt Henderson to hear the case and set a March 17 hearing at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney on a temporary injunction.

On Monday, Roach ordered that Sanders be served with the lawsuit at the Plant City Stadium in Plant City, Fla., where he was in spring training for the Cincinnati Reds in a dual-career move.

Mrs. Sanders' attorney, Mike McCurley, did not immediately return a telephone call from the AP.

A divorce petition Mrs. Sanders filed Sept. 11 on the grounds of adultery and "cruel treatment" was dismissed later that month at the request of both parties.

That petition was filed three days before what Mrs. Sanders said was the couple's seventh anniversary. However, Sanders said they actually were married in March 1995 in Reno, Nev.