Travis Hunter wasted little time responding to criticism from former All-Pro cornerback and "Thursday Night Football" pundit Richard Sherman.
Colorado's two-way star had one choice word for Sherman, who blasted Hunter's skills during an appearance on Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown's podcast earlier in the week.
While taking part in warmups ahead of the Buffaloes' clash with UCF on Saturday afternoon, Hunter strutted onto FBC Mortgage Stadium wearing what appeared to be a plain white T-shirt.
A closer examination of the outfit revealed the shirt came with a message, scrawled in boldface letters across the chest plate: "Bland."
Travis Hunter pulled up to Colorado game in "bland" T-Shirt after Richard Sherman called him a "bland" receiver earlier this week 👀
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 28, 2024
Hunter says Sherman apologized for the criticism
(via @YahooSports)pic.twitter.com/c0bVjgTC6f
Hunter's choice of attire could seem a confounding one. But within the context of his budding rivalry with Sherman, the implications of Hunter's pre-match aesthetic begins to come into focus.
Here's what you need to know.
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Why is Travis Hunter wearing 'Bland' T-shirt?
Hunter's choice to sport the "Bland" T-shirt has less to do with style and more to do with Sherman's comments on the "St. Brown Podcast."
While speaking to NFL-playing brothers Amon-Ra and Equanimeous, Sherman questioned the viability of Hunter being able to play both ways at the next level.
“We’re not playing 50 snaps on offense and 55 snaps on defense,” Sherman said. “Boy, those coordinators on offense, they’re going to test you. These quarterbacks are going to say, ‘Hey let’s see how in shape you are by the end of the fourth quarter. We just saw you run three go routes, I’m about to bring our third receiver in to run you on three more go routes, and then let Amon-Ra go ahead and do work baby.'"
When asked where he views Hunter as having the most success in the NFL, Sherman was clear.
“I think he goes as a corner just because receivers his size… he’s not a special size, super dynamic route runner,” Sherman said. “He’s a great athlete and he’s smooth so he can get it done. I’m sure if he focused on receiver he could be elite. But as a corner, he just looks natural. It’s back to catching a ball and he’s in position all the time. He’s breaking right, he has a good feel for it, and it’s so rare.”
For what it's worth, Sherman's remarks weren't all that scathing. The former Seahawks standout was complimentary of Hunter's athletic skills and feel for the game. He just feels it's better suited for the secondary.
Hunter revealed that he and Sherman talked things out over the phone and squashed any beef between the two in a vlog he posted to YouTube recently.
Nevertheless, Sherman's claims did serve as bulletin board material for Hunter on Saturday. The "Bland" shirt was the easiest manifestation of this phenomenon. It wasn't the only one, though.
Earlier in the week, Hunter offered an eight-word rebuttal on Instagram after catching wind of Sherman's musings: “Stop speaking on me let me play football.”
If there's one thing Hunter can do, it's that. He'll aim to show off his flair of the dramatic once more, this time against the Golden Knights.
