The father of NFL rookie Travis Hunter got some bad news this week.
A Florida state judge on Tuesday denied Hunter Sr.’s request to modify his criminal sentence, saying it would look like “special treatment” if he allowed it simply because the father’s circumstances changed since his son was picked No. 2 overall in the NFL draft last month.
According to his court request, the father had asked the court to convert his remaining sentence of community control supervision to a less restrictive form of probation so that he could “assist his son with furthering his very promising career with the National Football League. “
According to USA Today, Judge Howard Coates rejected Hunter Sr.’s request to convert his remaining sentence.
“I hear these circumstances have changed, you know, my hat’s off to his son,” the judge said. “I don’t know that changes the father’s situation for me. In fact, it’s given me some concern that you’re almost arguing for special treatment.”
Hunter Sr.’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, argued that Hunter Jr. could give his dad a job after being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“If someone was to win the lottery and someone was to get a new job, if someone was to move to a different neighborhood, all those situational changes aren’t asking for favoritism whatsoever,” Cohen said.
“What I’m saying is his situation has changed in that his son is able to employ him. His son is able to give him stable housing and a stable environment.
“Those things are not asking for special treatment, Judge. Those are simply issues that arose that changed the situation of an individual.”
Unfortunately for Cohen, his argument did not sway the Florida judge, who reiterated how the public would likely see such amendments as favoritism.
“Probably 99% of the public out there that doesn’t have an athlete son who’s incredibly successful, might look at this and say, ‘This sounds like special treatment for the athlete’s father,’” Coates said of Travis Hunter Sr.
The 39-year-old agreed to a plea deal last year stemming from gun and drug charges, according to court filings. The deal included 90 days in jail and three years of probation, including one year in community control supervision.
Travis Hunter Will Have All Eyes On Him
Travis Hunter is projected to be a star in the NFL during the 2025 season, having been selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
All eyes will certainly be on him to see if he can recreate the magic he displayed while in college.
He was a two-way player at Colorado, excelling as both a wide receiver and a defensive back.
For now, it appears he will be doing the same in the NFL.
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