When Travis Hunter tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Leanna Lenee this May, the headlines were not only about the lavish countryside ceremony, her $200,000 custom Mercedes gift, or the $100,000 diamond ring. One of the most talked-about details, unfortunately, was the reported absence of a prenuptial agreement.
In a league where financial advisors, former players, and even coaches preach asset protection like gospel, the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie’s decision didn’t sit well with many of his well-wishers. Among them is former NBA champion John Salley. During his recent appearance on DJ Vlad, he delivered a measured but clear take.
“Well, he deserves whatever comes with it,” Salley said bluntly. Though the NBA legend wasn’t there to pass judgment, he acknowledged the complexity behind high-profile relationships and noted that from the outside, it’s easy to assume the worst.
“I just say this about Travis: whatever she does makes him not have to worry about anything else, and he plays… and can be his talented self, man,” he added.
In other words, if Travis Hunter’s relationship offers him peace of mind and allows him to thrive on the field, there may be more to it than public cynicism suggests. Still, Salley didn’t ignore the elephant in the room. “Now, if it turns out where she does what everyone thinks she’s going to do, shame on her,” he warned. “Karma is a bit*h.”
It’s a sentiment that echoes concerns expressed by former NFL linebacker Channing Crowder. “I heard there was no prenup… I don’t like that,” he said, warning that the reigning Heisman winner could be putting his future at risk.
And then there’s Deion Sanders, the two-way star’s former coach at Colorado, who once joked on camera, “Let me know because I’m gonna do your prenup for you… it’s gonna be about this thick.” That quip, in hindsight, feels far less playful.
But are prenups necessary? In the world of professional sports, the answer is almost always yes. With the average NFL career lasting just 3.3 years, players’ earning windows are short.
Divorce attorney James Sexton, who’s now offering free prenups to all 2025 NFL rookies, summed it up perfectly: “Travis Hunter has a prenup, it just wasn’t written by him. It was written by the government.”
For Sexton, prenups aren’t about mistrust; they’re about clarity, especially when 56% of marriages end in divorce.
“If there’s a 56% chance you’re going to get hit in the head with a bowling ball when you walk out the house, you’re gonna wear a helmet,” Sexton said.
But in Travis Hunter’s case, he chose to go without that helmet. So whether it proves to be a bold romantic gesture or a costly oversight remains to be seen. But as Salley put it, with love and millions on the line — “he deserves whatever comes with it.”
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