Travis Hunter has revealed that he has made a couple of major changes in his life in response to the backlash he and his fiancée, Leanna Lenee, have received lately.
Lenee and Hunter, last season's Heisman Trophy winner, have seen their relationship come under scrutiny after a series of incidents in the fall and winter.
In one case, the pair appeared to have an argument after the end of a game between Colorado and Oklahoma, while Lenee was later criticized for initially sitting down while the Colorado star received the Heisman.
Now, the presumed top-three NFL Draft pick has revealed that he has largely stopped taking photos.
“All the haters are ruining my followers… I rarely take pictures now because you never know what they're going to do with them,” he said on The Travis Hunter Show.
Hunter also shared that he recently hired a new security guard.
Travis Hunter and Leanna Lenee are seen before the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York
Lenee said this incident, after a game against Oklahoma State, was due to a security guard preventing her and other Buffaloes family members from entering the field.
“People scare me, man… because you never know who means well,” he said. 'Yes, I have a new security guard. I walk safely.'
Hunter also revealed that he stayed away from social media after deleting his Instagram account in December.
Notably, Hunter and Lenee made their first public appearance together in about three weeks when they graced the red carpet at Sports Illustrated's annual awards show earlier this month.
But it was a hectic stretch for the pair starting with the Oklahoma game. Both have maintained that the viral clip was removed from the contest, and Lenee said it was because a security guard prevented her and other members of the Buffaloes family from entering the field.
Weeks later, when Hunter won the Heisman, Lenee was the only member of his delegation sitting near the stage who didn't jump to his feet after he was announced as the winner. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders asked Lenee to stand up, which she did.
The next day, Hunter met and greeted his fans in New York City. As the two-way football star snapped photos with a smile, Lenee looked upset.
“What do you want me to do? Then I'll sit here,” he seemed to say.
Hunter then appears to suggest that he could leave if he wanted to, and in the video he is seen saying: “You could go to the hotel, you can walk…”
Hunter, who plays both CB and WR, is expected to be a top pick in April's NFL Draft.
Lenee said that at the time she wasn't mad at Hunter for taking photos with a woman, saying that woman worked for Adidas and she wanted to know what his plans were.
Lenee explained that she was misheard in that scenario, that she had no problem with people taking photos with him, and that the video captured her interaction with Adidas employees, not fans.
Hunter also vehemently defended Lenee, later revealing that she cried herself to sleep after all the negative reviews and abuse she had received online.
Hunter told people to stop targeting her, specifically reporting “clickbait” pages, social media accounts and websites.
Around Christmas, some even questioned whether Lenee had been faithful to Hunter during their relationship after an old clip of her dancing with someone who wasn't her Heisman Trophy-winning boyfriend resurfaced.
In response to Lenee's implied infidelity, Hunter deleted his Instagram. Later, Lenee did too.
Hunter is expected to be one of the first, if not the first name, to appear in the NFL Draft on April 25.