Angel Reese has offered a blunt defense of Travis Hunter’s fiancée, Leanna Lenee, after she was criticized following her appearance at the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday.
As the two-way Colorado star was announced as the winner of the prestigious award, Lenee initially remained sitting while Hunter’s mother and Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders stood up. She briefly stood and gave Hunter a hug after Sanders appeared to tap her, but promptly sat back down as Hunter continued embracing his group.
The awkward moment spread on social media and led to widespread criticism of Lenee – but WNBA star Reese spoke up for her on Sunday.
‘Leave that girl alone & let them be happy damn!,’ she wrote on X.
One fan replied and said: ‘You know she wrong for not standing up but that’s your boy I understand.’
Reese then shot back and said she didn’t know Hunter ‘at all.’
Leanna Lenee initially remained seated after Travis Hunter was announced as the Heisman winner
Hunter became the second Heisman winner in Colorado’s history when he beat Ashton Jeanty
And Angel Reese urged fans to leave Lenee alone after she received widespread criticism
‘I’m just supporting another athlete but why do yall care so much?,’ she continued. ‘AGAIN, they are happy. Yall wanna be internet relationship experts so bad. This is why we want to keep things private cause yall always gonna try to find SOMETHING.’
Over the final few weeks of the season, Lenee has attracted plenty of headlines and blowback from college football fans.
After a game against Oklahoma State, her and Hunterappeared to get into some sort of argument– with Lenee seemingly rebuffing Hunter’s attempt to kiss her on the cheek.
And during the run up to the Heisman ceremony, Lenee appeared angry at Hunter as he took pictures with female fans at a planned event.
Lenee was seen seated just a few feet away from Hunter as he took snaps with a female fan, looking upset before asking him ‘What do you want me to do… I’ll just sit here then.’
Hunter then appears to suggest that she could leave if she felt like it, with the video catching him saying, ‘You could go to the hotel, you can walk around…’
However, Hunter defended Lenee after the incident.
‘When we was sitting down and I was at my pop-up shop, we was talking about my family,’ he said in some sort of online stream.
Hunter’s fiancee (L) recently seemed upset when Hunter took photos with female fans of his
Hunter and are seen Lenee before the Heisman Trophy Ceremony in New York on Saturday
Earlier this season, Lenee and Hunter appeared to get into an argument after a game
‘What was they gon’ do while I was in there signing stuff. I had all my family there, and that’s why she said she gon’ stay there, so they can get stuff… [and] have fun there. Some of them wanted to go back to the hotel, some of them didn’t.’
He added: ‘I know what I got, I know my girl. My girl been with me for five years, y’all are just now starting to talk about me and just now starting to be with me.’
Hunter won the Heisman Trophy by the narrowest margin since 2009 – just barely beating out Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty for the honor.
He became the second Colorado player to take home the award, joining the late Rashaan Salaam – who won it in 1994.
He is also the first Heisman winner who played some defense to take home the award since Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in 1997. Woodson was a safety at Michigan that also returned punts and played wide receiver.