Travis Hunter BROKE After $40M Scandal | Stephen A Smith Spills The Truth!

“Young lady, mistakes happen.” Travis Hunter once said those words trying to defend his wife, but what followed was a financial and personal collapse that no one saw coming this fast—except everyone did. Travis had it all: a record-setting two-way star at Colorado, a Heisman Trophy winner in December 2024, and the #2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars. His rookie contract was massive: 4 years, $40.65 million, with a $30.66 million signing bonus. Life should’ve been locked in. Instead, storm clouds rolled in—fast—and at the center of it all was his wife, Lyanna Nay.

Before the whispers of bankruptcy began to swirl, Travis was all over social media flaunting wealth like it would never run out. He admitted spending $635,000 early on: $300K on his mom’s house, cars for himself and Lyanna, and two boats. That was just the beginning. Then came the jaw-dropping expenses: a $3.275 million mansion in a gated Jacksonville community with seven bedrooms, 13 rooms total, a tennis court, pool, and four-car garage. There was also a $100K engagement ring, a $20K Turks and Caicos honeymoon, and an estimated $600K on luxury cars—including a custom $200K Mercedes Brabus he gifted to Lyanna at their wedding.

Steven A. Smith put it bluntly: this wasn’t just bad spending—it was dangerous. He slammed Travis not just for his purchases, but for marrying Lyanna without a prenup. Financial experts were stunned. Hunter had gone from broke college student to millionaire overnight, and within months, was burning through money like it was endless. Attorney James Ston even offered free prenups to the entire 2025 draft class, singling out Hunter’s situation as the cautionary tale. By the time Travis married Lyanna in May 2025, he had no legal protection in place. That meant if the marriage failed, she could legally claim half of everything he’d earned.

And then the scandals came fast and brutal. Old videos and photos of Lyanna began surfacing—some showing her partying, dancing intimately with other men, and even alleged Snapchat clips of her in bed with someone else around 2021. She claimed she and Travis weren’t together yet, but the timelines didn’t always add up. Meanwhile, she’d admitted in a resurfaced video that Travis “wasn’t her type” and shared that she once left him on read for two months because he had a girlfriend at the time. Critics pounced, claiming it showed she was only interested once his football career took off.

More drama exploded when fans claimed Lyanna looked disinterested when Travis won the Heisman. She barely stood until Deion Sanders nudged her, and that awkward moment instantly went viral. Rumors even surfaced that she might be pregnant, adding another layer of financial responsibility to an already spiraling situation. Travis deactivated his Instagram after backlash intensified—a costly move, since NFL players can earn millions through sponsored posts. It marked a rare moment when the public saw a star athlete backpedaling from fame.

Throughout the chaos, Travis defended Lyanna fiercely, insisting she “makes her own money” and calling out anyone who labeled her a gold digger. But his line—“If she’s a gold digger, then I’m one too”—only fueled more speculation that their relationship was transactional. Financial experts couldn’t ignore the pattern: every big purchase seemed tied to Lyanna, from gifts to trips to lifestyle upgrades. Even NFL veterans like Dez Bryant and Brandon Marshall urged Travis publicly to walk away before it was too late.

Behind the scenes, the Jaguars organization reportedly grew concerned. Coaches noted Travis showing uncharacteristic mental lapses at practice. His social media became increasingly erratic—lavish posts one week, total silence the next. The cracks in his personal life were spilling onto the field. Meanwhile, endorsement deals began vanishing. Brands don’t touch messy drama, and Lyanna’s growing scandal made Travis a liability. Experts estimated he lost out on multiple million-dollar deals because of the baggage.

The worst part? The legal fallout. With no prenup and rumors of divorce brewing in August 2025, Lyanna could walk away with half of his NFL fortune. Sources said his advisers were even considering bankruptcy as a strategic move—not because he was broke yet, but to shield what was left if the divorce went nuclear.

From the start, the warning signs were there. The two-month DM silence. The “he’s not my type” comments. The sudden engagement just as NFL money started flowing. Every milestone in their relationship seemed to coincide with Travis’s rising bank account. Financial experts said Lyanna understood exactly how to time her moves and built a lifestyle around escalating expectations. Once expensive gifts become the standard, they’re nearly impossible to scale back.

By September 2025, Travis Hunter, once a generational football talent, found himself at a crossroads. His money, focus, endorsements, and image were all slipping. Steven A. Smith and other veterans warned him early, but the advice was ignored. Now, the sports world is left watching the fallout in real-time—a tragic, but painfully preventable story of fame, money, and misplaced trust.