Fans often go to great lengths to grab players’ attention, seeking autographs or photos. Some even feel entitled to an athlete’s time and space, believing players owe them gratitude. However, when athletes are unable to meet these expectations or fulfill commitments, they often face backlash on social media, exposing the ugly side of fan behavior.
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Travis Hunter understands all that and not only is he not on social media anymore but he also refuses to take pictures with fans now. On his podcast, ‘Hunter,’ he explained why:
“I rarely take pictures now because you never know what they are going to do with it…You just asked for a picture as nicely as you can and now you want to talk bad about me. It’s weird bro. People are weird. They scare me.”
Travis mentioned finding it unsettling how unpredictable and, at times, strange people’s behavior can be. The inability to predict their actions or intentions leaves him constantly on edge, knowing things could go wrong at any moment.
The Heisman winner’s mistrust of the public has grown so much that he’s even hired a security guard to address these concerns.
Affectionately named Frank the Tank, Travis’s new security guard will soon be a familiar face, accompanying him in public. Travis believes that investing in personal security is both a wise and necessary decision, remarking,
“What’s the point of all the money if you can’t use it to protect yourself?”
With Frank by his side, he hopes to prevent not just unfortunate encounters but also potential life-threatening incidents. And he has a good reason for being this wary. While he is no stranger to unwanted social media attention, that attention seems to have gotten even more intense in the past few months. First, fans hyper-scrutinized his relationship with his fianceé Leanna Lenee, even going as far as digging up stuff from her past. Then, they came for Hunter too.
After a tough loss, Travis was walking to his car with his fiancée when a group of fans surrounded him, bombarding him with requests for pictures, greetings, and acknowledgments. Exhausted and frustrated, he kept his head down and continued walking without engaging. This reaction didn’t sit well with one fan, who later took to TikTok to express her outrage.
In the video, she berated the Heisman winner for ignoring his fans. The video quickly gained attention, sparking mixed reactions online.
However, Hunter has chosen to move past it all and focus on his NFL career. After all, as he said, “Haters are gonna hate.”
