Heisman Winner Travis Hunter Deactivates Instagram Account as Hatred Toward Fiancée Leanna Lenee Continues

12/23/2024 05:09 PM

The controversy initially began as Hunter received the Heisman trophy and many fans called out Lenee's behavior in videos that circulated online

Amid the continued vitriol going around online about his fiancée Leanna Lenee, 2024 Heisman winner Travis Hunter has deactivated his Instagram account.

Hunter has not shared specifics behind his decision, but in the days since the Dec. 14 Heisman Trophy ceremony the Colorado Buffaloes star and Lenee have faced significant criticism about her behavior.

At the ceremony, Lenee was seen in video footage staying seated after Hunter was announced the winner, with Deion Sanders, the Buffaloes head coach, nudging her to stand up. After she gives Hunter a brief hug, Lenee immediately sits back down as the rest of the audience remains standing and applauding.

As that footage circulated on social media, another video of Lenee from a day after the ceremony made the rounds. 

This time, Hunter was taking photos with fans at a pop-up event in New York City while Lenee remained seated and appeared to be irritated with the amount of time Hunter was spending with fans.

Related: Who Is Colorado Buffaloes Player Travis Hunter's Fiancée? All About Leanna Lenee

In the video shared online by a fan, Lenee appeared to say to Hunter, "What do you want me to do...I'll just sit here then." 

Following the incident, Hunter, 21, said on Twitch that Lenee cried herself to sleep and drank a lot of alcohol due to the intense backlash.

"You know the hurt when you just cry yourself to sleep," Hunter said during his Twitch stream, adding that his fiancée was "asleep" and he didn't want her to "go to sleep sad" after drinking.

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"I know what I got. I know my girl. My girl's been with me for five years," Hunter said. "Y'all are just now starting to talk about me and just now starting to be with me. Come on, man."

Two days later, on Dec. 16, Lenee took to TikTok to defend herself against the claims. "People are saying that I'm like, 'What am I supposed to do? Just sit here?' " she said in response to the clip. "That's not what I said, first of all," she said.

Lenee continued her response, adding that the people seen with Hunter in the video were not fans, but instead Adidas employees who were getting social media content with him following the Heisman ceremony. 

She said she was just trying to find out what she was supposed to do after the event ended. 

Related: Heisman Winner Travis Hunter Defends Fiancée Leanna Lenee After Attacks: 'I Feel the Same Pain She Feels'

"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," Lenee said.

She stated she had been there "the entire time, taking pictures, talking to them, everything."

"I wasn't annoyed with no fans, at all. I'm never annoyed with fans," Lenee said. "So that's what that was."