A viral social media post has spread claims that Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders pledged $200,000 to support Karmelo Anthony’s legal appeal following his murder conviction in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf.
The post was shared by the X account @FadeMFx, which has 10.4k followers. The post alleged that Sanders released a video announcing he had contacted Anthony’s family and would donate $200,000 to secure “the best legal team” for an appeal.
The post also attributed the quote, “It hurts seeing another black kid failed by the system,” to Sanders.
Read more: Karmelo Anthony update: Ben Crump compares murder case to Caysen Allison verdict, says ‘two Americas’
No verified source supports the $200K donation claim
As of June 13, there is no verified evidence that Sanders pledged $200,000 to Anthony’s family or legal defense team.
A review of Sanders’ publicly available social media accounts and recent news coverage does not show any statement that matches the viral claim.
Searches of recent reporting from ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, USA Today, The Associated Press and other major organizations produced no evidence supporting the claim.
The viral posts also fail to provide a full-length video, official transcript, or direct source for the alleged remarks.
Read more: Karmelo Anthony case: Howard professor slammed for telling Austin Metcalf’s father ‘You failed your son’
What does the viral video actually show?
Sanders appears to be speaking in the video attached to the viral post, but the caption on the account linked to the video does not match the content of his speech.
In the video, Sanders is seen speaking about his comedic style and launching his career as a comedian. Multiple users who reviewed the clip disputed the captions accompanying it.
One widely shared response stated that Sanders never mentioned Anthony or a $200,000 donation anywhere in the video. The user accused the original poster of “engagement farming” by adding misleading text unrelated to Sanders’ comments.
Another viral response similarly challenged the claim. “This not true, Sanders never said any of this, it hasn’t been posted on any of his social media,” one user wrote. “You idiots continue to lie and it is ridiculous.”
Karmelo Anthony files appeal
Anthony’s case has remained a flashpoint on social media since a Collin County jury convicted him of murder. Following the verdict, Anthony filed a notice of appeal and requested court-appointed counsel.
According to court filings obtained by WFAA, Anthony described himself as “penniless” and unable to hire appellate counsel.
Anthony, who was 17 at the time of the stabbing, is characterized in the reported document as a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel.”
The filing came after a GiveSendGo campaign associated with his family reportedly raised more than $600,000 before being shut down following his conviction.
