Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders spoke out about his former player Travis Hunter’s decision to deactivate his social media accounts in response to harsh comments about his fiancée, Leanna Lenee. Hunter and Lenee’s Instagram accounts were deactivated on December 23, just days after Hunter won the Heisman Trophy.
Sanders appeared on the “Tamron Hall Show” and criticized Hunter for neglecting the business side of his decision, saying that as a former college and future pro athlete with an NIL valuation of $5.2 million, Hunter’s social media account activity is likely directly tied to endorsements. “You have endorsements, you have people that have sponsored you to talk about their product,” Sanders said. “We have to activate right now.”
Sanders also suggested that Hunter’s response will make him vulnerable to “attacks” and that he should have kept moving forward instead of backing down. “When somebody stays still, now you got a chance to attack, and I hate the stillness of that. Keep on moving. Don’t let the enemy get you while you’re still and you’re having a pity party on yourself,” Sanders said.
Hunter’s fiancée, Leanna Lenee, had previously posted a video on her TikTok account in an effort to end the negativity, saying that she was tired and emotionally drained due to the backlash. She also addressed the controversy surrounding her response to Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy, saying that she remained seated during the ceremony because she didn’t want to be in the camera shot and wanted the moment to be about Hunter and his family.
Hunter’s teammate, quarterback Sheduer Sanders, also weighed in on the controversy, suggesting that critics should stop weighing in on Hunter’s personal life and instead focus on his football career. “All y’all athletes, entertainers, artist etc. if y’all genuine trying to holla at Trav y’all know how to get in touch with him or someone around,” Sanders wrote on X. “At this point y’all just posting for the algorithm trying to look cool.”