Heisman winner Travis Hunter defends fiancee Leanna Lenee after attack

• Travis Hunter defended his fiancee Leanna Lenee from fans after they criticized her attitude during his Heisman Trophy celebration
• Hunter said Lenee drank and cried herself to sleep after the backlash
• The Colorado Buffaloes star said the negativity has hurt him too and asked fans to stop the “hate” towards Lenee

Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter has spoken out in defense of his fiancée, Leanna Lenee, after fans criticized her behavior on social media.

Hunter, 21, told viewers on Twitch that his fiance cried himself to sleep and drank an “odd amount” – slang for “extreme” or “a lot” — of alcohol following the backlash that started after the Colorado Buffaloes star won the prestigious college football award on Saturday, Dec. 14.

“You know the hurt when you just cry yourself to sleep,” Hunter said during his Twitch stream a day later, adding that Lenee was “sleeping” and he didn’t want her to “go to sleep sad” after to have drunk so much.

Fans only started questioning Lenee after video from the Heisman ceremony showed Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders leaning over to Lenee to tell her to stand up after Hunter’s name was called.

The backlash then grew when another video showed Hunter taking photos with fans at a pop-up event in New York City after the Heisman ceremony, as Lenee sat and appeared to be frustrated with how much time Hunter was spending with fans.

“What do you want me to do… then I’ll just sit here,” Lenee seemed to say video shared by a fan.

But Hunter quickly squashed that narrative in his Twitch stream, saying that Lenee’s behavior was justified and that she helped keep his family busy while he spent time with fans.

“That’s why she said she was going to stay there, some of them wanted to go back to the hotel, some of them didn’t,” Hunter explained during the stream.

“I know what I got. I know my girl. My girl has been with me for five years,” Hunter said. “You guys just started talking about me and just started being with me. Come on, man.”

Hunter also warned the “clickbait sites” that they “better stop” posting content that suggests trouble for the couple or “something bad is going to happen,” Hunter said.

“You hate me and then you hate my girl. I feel the same pain she feels,” Hunter said. “We are inseparable (sic), we are with each other. If she hurts, of course I will hurt.”

The backlash comes just a week after Hunter defended Lenee when comedian Godfrey said “something’s not right” with her attitude based on a video in which Lenee said Hunter wasn’t “her type” before they started dating.

“Do you know her? No, don’t talk about my relationship you old ash, get on with your life,” Hunter wrote in the comments on Godfrey’s video.

Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, given to the top player in college football each year, during the annual ceremony at Lincoln Center in New York City on Dec. 14.

During his acceptance speech, the football star got particularly emotional as he called out his father, Travis Hunter Sr.

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“I want to say something to my dad. He’s not here. But I know you’re watching TV,” he said tearfully.

“Dad, I love you. All the things you went through, man. Now look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man. All the times you don’t get to see me and the times you came to see my games. From probably two games in high school to watching me on TV every weekend and coming to see me, man, it means so much to me.”

“I know you wanted to be here and you can’t, but trust me, I got you,” he concluded. “I’m taking the trophy home. I love you.”