Was Travis Hunter's Dad in Jail When His Son Received the Heisman Trophy?

This year's crop of Heisman Trophy nominees was a competitive one. It came down to four very impressive finalists: CB/WR Travis Hunter, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, and Miami QB Cam Ward.

But it was wide receiver Travis Hunter who ultimately took home the honor. However, as he acknowledged the people who had helped get him to where he is today, he briefly mentioned that his father could not attend. Many speculated that Travis Hunter Sr., once a promising young sports star in his own right, was still in jail. Here's what we know about Travis's father and the reason he missed his son's biggest day.

Travis stood in front of the world in New York in December 2024 and thanked all the people who helped him win the award. He thanked his fiancée Leanna Lenee, his brother Trayvis, his mother Ferrante Harris, his coaches, and finally: his dad.

As he held the coveted Heisman, Travis said, "And I want to say something to my father. He's not here to be able to make it, but I know you're watching on TV. Dad, I love you. All the stuff you went through, man look at your older son. I did it for you, man."

The trophy-winner continued, "All the times that you didn't get to see me. When the times you came to see my games, from not seeing probably two games in high school to seeing me on TV every weekend and come to see me, man. That means so much to me. I know you wanted to be here and you can't, but trust me, I got you. I'm bringing the trophy home. I love you.”

As it turns out, Travis Hunter Sr. was not in jail, but just barely. He was released on Dec. 5, 2024, after a 90-day sentence following a 2023 conviction. His choice not to attend the ceremony was just that: a personal choice. He stayed home in Florida and watched from afar, telling the Palm Beach Post: "I don't want to go. I want to be there when he gets married and when he gets drafted. I'm going to watch this from home."

Despite his dad's seemingly lukewarm reception to the big honor, he has always been a big fan of his son and a believer in his potential. When asked about his son being honored with the Heisman, Sr. responded, "I really don't feel no different because I always know he could win, if he put his mind to win."

"I would always tell him he's the best player anyway so he's got to go out there and play like it. Every time I'd tell him that he'd go out there and play like he's the best player in the world."

Headlines about his father aren't the only personal stories that have been hounding Travis in the news lately, however. He and his fiancée Leanna have been plagued by rumors regarding a pregnancy.

Eventually, Travis felt compelled to address the rumors and put them to rest for good. While on a podcast episode of 2Legendary hosted by Shedeur Sanders, Travis cleared things up.

He explained, "I don't have no twins on the way, bro. I don't even play like that bro. I know exactly why they said that though. They say I got twins on the way so one can play offense and one can play defense, you're weird. Why would you even post that."

The internet circulated fake pregnancy photos of Leanna and tagged on the rumors about the twins, but Travis was quick to shut it down and let people know that it's just that: a rumor.