Colorado Buffaloes head soccer coach Deion Sanders addressed his former participant Travis Hunter’s resolution to deactivate social media accounts in response to feedback about Hunter’s fiancée, Leanna Lenee.
Hunter and Lenee’s Instagram accounts have been deactivated Dec. 23, days after Hunter gained the Heisman Trophy. During the ceremony, social media dialogue concerning the occasion included a number of harsh criticisms of Hunter and Lenee as a pair. Hunter’s account has since been reactivated.
Sanders gave his response to Hunter’s scenario in an interview on the “Tamron Hall Show.”
“It harm me that he did,” Sanders stated of Hunter’s deactivation. “What the enemy needs you to do is cease.”
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Sanders criticized Hunter for neglecting the enterprise facet of his resolution. As a former faculty and future professional athlete with an NIL valuation of $5.2 million, based on On3.com, Hunter’s social media account exercise is probably going straight tied to endorsements.
“You have endorsements, you’ve folks that have sponsored you to speak about their product,” Sanders stated. “We need to activate proper now.”
Sanders was additionally important of Hunter for backing down and instructed his response will make him susceptible to “assaults.”
“When anyone stays nonetheless, now you bought an opportunity to assault, and I hate the stillness of that. Keep on transferring. Don’t let the enemy get you whilst you’re nonetheless and also you’re having a pity get together on your self,” Sanders stated, including that is what he informed Hunter concerning the scenario.
Colorado Buffaloes vast receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter after successful the 2024 Heisman Trophy. (Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust by way of Imagn Images)
Hunter addressed the scenario throughout a Twitch live stream, saying his fiancée cried herself to sleep and drank because of the backlash.
Lenee beforehand posted a video on her TikTok account in an effort to finish the negativity Dec. 16.
“I’m drained, emotionally and mentally. I’ve seen individuals making an attempt to make me out to be an individual that I’m not,” Lenee stated within the nearly eight-minute clip.
She additionally addressed the negativity about her response to Hunter successful the Heisman Trophy.
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At least one social media video appeared to indicate Lenee remaining in her seat moments after Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman recipient. Deion Sanders then appeared to immediate Lenee to face up. Lenee did finally briefly embrace Hunter earlier than rapidly sitting again down throughout the viewers’s standing ovation.
Other video footage appeared to indicate Lenee remaining seated whereas Hunter greeted and posed for images with followers at an occasion in New York City the day after the Heisman ceremony. Some followers tried to research Lenee’s demeanor throughout her time on the occasion and even instructed she was irritated.
“When his identify was known as, I immediately was going to rise up. If you watch the video, his mother didn’t rise up, so I used to be like, ‘Oh, perhaps I don’t rise up, I simply sit right here,’” she stated. “As quickly as I seen Travis rise up, then I believed it was applicable to face up, greet him, congratulate him.
“But then there was a digital camera proper in entrance of Coach Prime, and I knew they have been going to movie that second and, due to how persons are on-line, I used to be like, ‘I don’t need to be in that shot.’ So, I sat down.
Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter (12) of the Colorado Buffaloes on the sideline throughout a recreation in opposition to North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field Aug. 29, 2024 in Boulder, Colo. (Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
“I acquired out of the digital camera, purposefully, to allow them to have their second. That’s all it was. No one informed me to face up. No one needed to inform me to have a good time with him. I used to be simply sitting there crying. I needed to take it in. I used to be tremendous excited for him. But I needed the second to be about him and his household.”
Hunter’s teammate, quarterback Sheduer Sanders, has additionally addressed the controversy. The Buffaloes quarterback instructed critics ought to cease weighing in on Hunter’s private life.
“All y’all athletes, entertainers, artist and so forth. if y’all real making an attempt to holla at Trav y’all know get in contact with him or somebody round,” Sanders wrote on X Sunday. “At this level y’all simply posting for the algorithm making an attempt to look cool.”
Hunter and Lenee’s engagement was publicly confirmed earlier this 12 months.
Hunter is projected to be a high choice within the upcoming NFL Draft.
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