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Deion Sanders addresses hit on Travis Hunter

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders addresses Henry Blackburn's hit on Travis Hunter

By Jonathan Adams | Last updated 9/20/23

There was a lot of chatter leading up to Colorado taking on Colorado State in Week 3, but Deion Sanders is attempting to take the high road after the Buffaloes' overtime win.

Sanders made it a point to address the ongoing discussion regarding Colorado State defensive back Henry Blackburn's hit on Colorado star Travis Hunter. Coach Prime encouraged fans to move on from calling out Blackburn for what appeared to be a cheap shot on Hunter.

"Henry Blackburn is a good player who played a phenomenal game," Sanders told reporters on Sept. 19. "This is a still young man trying to make it in life. He does not deserve a death threat over a game. I forgive him. Our team forgives him. Travis Hunter has forgiven him. Let's move on. That kid does not deserve that."

In case you missed it, here is Blackburn's hit on Hunter that caused the Colorado star to sustain a lacerated liver.

Last you’ll hear of this from me…

This angle of Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn’s hit on Travis Hunter makes it even worse. You can see how late it actually was & how Blackburn had absolutely nothing else on his mind other than cheapshotting Hunter. What a joke. pic.twitter.com/nCAuBG6obe
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) September 19, 2023

Sanders' statement comes after ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Blackburn and his family received death threats following the tackle on Hunter. The Buffaloes star did not return against Colorado State and was transported to the hospital.

"By the time the game ended on Saturday, both Henry and his mother’s cell phone numbers had been published on the Internet," Thamel said on Sept. 18. "They’ve been inundated with threatening calls and text messages. Henry’s campus address and his family’s home address were also published."

Deion Sanders calls for forgiveness for Colorado State's Henry Blackburn, who received death threats after his hit on Travis Hunter. pic.twitter.com/Isr5oeW5bf
— ESPN (@espn) September 19, 2023

Hunter's injury is not only bad news for his own health, but it will also prevent the two-way player from suiting up against Oregon in a top-25 showdown. Hunter is expected to miss three to four weeks as he recovers from a lacerated liver, per Fox Sports' Skip Bayless. This means Hunter will not only miss Colorado's marquee matchup versus the Ducks but will also be sidelined against USC on Sept. 30.

Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter on Henry Blackburn's illegal hit on him: "He did what he's supposed to do. It's football."

Blackburn's hit lacerated Hunter's liver, and he said it's cool.

That's that Heisman talk. pic.twitter.com/KGe5TGdk9H
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) September 19, 2023

As for Sanders, he may have used Jay Norvell's comments to sell some sunglasses ($4.5M to be exact), but the Buffaloes coach has tried to take the high road on multiple occasions when it comes to the Colorado State rivalry. Sanders took the same approach with Blackburn as the Colorado attempts to turn their attention to Oregon.

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