Following a recent ride-along with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, where Travis Hunter and officers traded lighthearted banter while touring community policing efforts, the footage sparked unexpected backlash online. However, it appears not everyone in his circle is staying quiet. Shilo Sanders, his former teammate from Colorado, stepped in to address the criticism.
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“See, I like this though. I see a lot of people on Twitter talking about Travis riding along with the police and stuff, but like this is just a way to really just build relationships with the community…” Sanders said on Shilo Sanders Live.
“So, I think it’s definitely smart to build a connection with them and a relationship with them, you know. So, I think this was a good thing for sure. Most definitely. People are always just going to find things to hate on at the end of the day. But building relationships with the police in your city, that’s like a really important thing to do. You know what I’m saying? You supposed to meet everybody in your town and have relations with them because you never know when you may need them. That was a cool video.”
The wild moment was from a police ride-along Travis Hunter did with Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters. He ended up witnessing a traffic stop that turned into a drug bust, with officers pulling out a bag containing what they identified as marijuana, meth, suspected cocaine, and fentanyl. Hunter wasn’t just watching from inside the car either; he’d stepped out and was close enough to see everything play out in real time.
At first, Hunter’s reaction was pretty lighthearted, joking that officers had ‘caught themselves a kingpin’. But then the tone shifted. Realizing kids might be watching the clip, he turned serious and delivered a straightforward message.
“See kids, don’t do drugs,” he said. “Don’t do drugs, man. It’s not worth it. Not worth it going to jail.”
This was not a wild occurrence for Travis Hunter. After the Jaguars drafted him in 2025, he posed for a photo with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, warmly welcoming him to Duval County. In July 2026, while responding to a call for help, the Engine 36 B-shift found Hunter, Waters, and other members of the JSO already on site. The WR was on a ride-along this time too.
“I was just out there just having fun with Sheriff T.K,” he said.
Of course, some fans have their doubts and think all this was unnecessary: Hunter is coming back from an injury-shortened season and could serve as an important target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. However, this was just him showing up and making real connections outside the field, in the city that he now calls home.