Drama follows greatness, and right now, Travis Hunter’s catching strays from all angles. The spotlight was supposed to be on him for winning college football’s most prestigious honor—the Heisman Trophy. Instead, the streets are buzzing about something completely different. Fans on social media aren’t just debating whether he deserved the Heisman over Ashton Jeanty (spoiler: they think Jeanty got snubbed), but they’re dragging him for allegedly snubbing his own parents on the biggest night of his career. And yeah, it looked bad at first—Hunter pulled up to New York with Deion Sanders and Shedeur standing in for his family.

Sure, his mom was there, but she wasn’t like interviewed, and his dad was missing entirely out of the picture. That’s all it took for fans to go full keyboard warrior mode, calling the move “low-key disrespectful” and just plain weird. The streets are saying he fumbled the real bag here. But as always, there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Not gonna lie, Travis Hunter’s 2024 season was straight fire, with stats and plays that had fans calling him the best two-way player since Charles Woodson. But let’s keep it real: even as he held the trophy, the loud noise around him wasn’t about his game—it was about who wasn’t there and who was. Social media exploded when Hunter’s parents weren’t seen soaking up the spotlight like every other Heisman finalist’s family. Deion Sanders and Shedeur took center stage instead, honoring their close relationship with Hunter and making fans do a double-take. But Hunter wasn’t going to let people think he snubbed his parents. He took the action!

When Hunter finally took the stage and gave his Heisman speech, it was nothing short of emotional. The man delivered heartfelt props to his parents that left everyone—even the haters—silent. He started with his dad, whose absence had sparked the backlash. Fighting back tears, Hunter said, “Dad, I love you. All the stuff you went through, man… look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man.” The room felt that one. Turns out, his dad wasn’t there for valid reasons, but Hunter’s words made it clear how deep their bond runs.

Then he turned to his mom, acknowledging her strength and sacrifices. “I’m thankful for my mother. She took me out of a bad area. I was always getting in trouble. Now look where I am. It’s crazy.” He also gave flowers to his fiancé, his grandma, and even Deion Sanders, who’s low-key dad of Boulder’s team. But some fans went into full-on attack mode online during the first few hours of the ceremony.

CFB fans throw serious hate on X for Travis Hunter

When the Heisman ceremony aired, college football fans hit X with hot takes hotter than Hunter’s highlight reel. The narrative spun out of control: why didn’t Hunter’s parents get their shine? Why was Shedeur, his teammate, stepping in for what looked like his mom and dad’s role? Sure, his mother was in attendance, but no interviews? No camera moments? And where was his dad? Fans on socials and X quickly labeled it as strange, even disrespectful. One fan was very quick to tweet, “Hunter’s parents deserve better,” while another questioned how he could fumble such a big moment with his own family.

“Where is Travis Hunter’s parents???? I’m a fan but that’s weird no lie. Just curious…” Some fans tried to keep it neutral but were clearly side-eyeing the situation. They couldn’t wrap their heads around why Hunter’s parents weren’t front and center like everyone else’s. One dude tweeted, “Travis Hunter’s parents don’t deserve this. What a shame.” This one hit the guilt-trip lane hard. The assumption here? That Hunter somehow pushed his parents out of the picture. Spoiler: Not true. The man’s just too quick at judging.

One even threw shade at Coach Prime. “Why doesn’t Travis Hunter have his parents with him like everyone else? I don’t want to listen to Shedeur. I cannot remember in recent history where a candidate had another teammate sitting there with him. Also, Deion, take off those stupid sunglasses!” Ouch. No cap wearing sunglasses at 9PM in New York is diabolical.

“Travis Hunter might be the only Heisman finalist ever that has had his coach and teammate interviewed next to him instead of his parents. Let your mom and dad share the spotlight too, man.” This fan went for the jugular. They didn’t just call it weird—they called it unprecedented. One fan wrote “They ain’t invite Travis Hunter’s parents to New York?!” Assumptions galore. This fan came in hot, but as it turns out, they were wrong.

Turns out, the internet was dead wrong about Travis Hunter’s relationship with his parents. Once he poured his heart out in his Heisman speech, the hate dried up quickly. His dad later spoke about how proud he’s always been of Travis, saying, “I really don’t feel no different because I always knew he could win if he put his mind to it. He’s always had that since he started playing football at four years old.” That bond runs deep, and no amount of online hate can change that. For Travis Hunter, his dad is his real Heisman, not that trophy.