Travis Hunter has left the building...or social media, that is. The Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver has deleted his Instagram account as criticism of his fiancé takes over the internet, rising since his win of the Heisman trophy last week. What were the exact moments that led to this social media break from the sports star? We’re breaking it all down here.
The Two Began Dating in 2022
Hunter and his now-fiancé Leanna Lenee go way back. The two have known each other since they were teenagers, per PEOPLE. Hunter revealed in YouTube video back in 2022 that he “shot his shot” with her, reaching out to her in the Instagram DMs. While it took her some time, they officially started dating in February 2022.
An Engagement
Hunter and his fiance Leanna Lenee first announced their engagement in 2024, right around their second anniversary. She wrote in her Instagram post at the time of their engagement, “I would constantly pray that God would give me a reason to keep moving forward so I can fulfill his plan for me. That he would give me motivation to continue, and you were his answer.”
Lenee Gets Online Criticism After Viral Video
The criticism surrounding Lenee ramped up after Hunter won his Heisman trophy. In a video that rubbed many fans the wrong way, Lenee is seen staying seated as Hunter is announced as the winner, only standing when the Buffaloes’ head coach Deion Sanders nudged her. Then, she is seen sitting back down as others continue standing and applauding him.
Pop-Up Event Video Surfaces
The same day the Heisman video went viral, another clip made the rounds on the internet, this time from a pop-up event in New York City. In the clip, Lenee once again remains seated and looks visibly irritated, this time as Hunter is greeting fans. Some fans said she was seen saying, “What do you want me to do…I just sit here then,” in one of the clips. Once again going viral for what many saw as questionable behavior, Lenee next seemed to take matters into her own hands, but not before Hunter took to Twitch with some thoughts.
Hunter Addresses the Controversy on Twitch
Hunter immediately defended his finacé, taking to Twitch to explain that his fiancé had drank alcohol and cried herself to sleep after seeing all of the comments surrounding the video. “I know what I got. I know my girl. My girl’s been with me for five years,” Hunter explained in the video. “Y’all are just now starting to talk about me and just now starting to be with me. Come on, man.”
Lenee Takes to TikTok
Lenee addressed the controversial video in a now-deleted post to TikTok, specifically calling out people for reading her lips wrong in the video. She explained, “People are saying that I’m like, ‘What am I supposed to do? Just sit here?’ That’s not what I said, first of all.”
She continued to explain that she was talking to the Adidas employees running the event, saying, “I said, ‘Do you want me to sit here? Or do you want me to go with the family? Or do you want me to come with you?’ Because again, what y’all don’t know off of a seven-second clip, is those weren’t fans, by the way, he had already finished that part.” She added, “I wasn’t annoyed with no fans, at all. I’m never annoyed with fans.”
Lenee also addressed the criticism she received from old comments she made stating that Hunter wasn’t her “type.” She explained in the video that she “did not mean attractiveness,” saying, “I don’t have a physical type. Period. No two men that I’ve previously dated look the same...so when I said he wasn’t my type, I meant because he was younger than me. I never dated anybody younger than me, and he had cheated on his girlfriend. I don’t know if your type is cheater but mine isn’t. So no, he wasn’t my type at first off of those two things.”
Yet Another Video Comes Out
On Saturday, after both Hunter and Lenee had spoken out about the viral videos, yet another clip surfaced, this time allegedly showing her dancing with another man at a party. While the exact time and source of the video remains to be seen, it certainly only added fuel to the fire when it comes to the public’s uncertainty about their relationship.
Hunter and Lenee Deactivate Their Instagram Accounts
Amid the bevy of controversies, both Hunter and Lenee seem to have deactivated their Instagram accounts. While he has not made an official statement explaining the reasoning for his decision, it came just about a week after the Heisman Trophy video and online chatter that followed.