LeBron James hits out at college referees after Colorado 'targeting' incident
NBA legend and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was left fuming by what he says was "targeting" in the college football clash between the Colorado Buffaloes and rival Colorado State Rams, which saw two-way star Travis Hunter get injured.
Words were exchanged between the two head coaches in the build-up to Saturday's match. The Rams head coach Jay Norvell implied that Coach Prime, Deion Sanders, was not raised right because he doesn't take his hat and sunglasses off when talking to people.
The iconic NFL cornerback's son Shedeur Sanders, who is Colorado's starting quarterback and an early Heisman Trophy candidate, also had his say, branding Norvell a "fool." And tensions boiled over in the game, with CSU being flagged for four unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. A late hit by safety Henry Blackburn put Hunter in the hospital, causing an on-field flare-up with Shedeur Sanders.
Many felt that Colorado State, which blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 43-35 in double overtime, got what they deserved for "blatant and uncalled for" hits. NBA great and college football fan James took to Twitter to question why Blackburn wasn't ejected for his late hit on Hunter.
Hunter managed to get back to his feet and register a tackle but ultimately had to leave the game. “Like I don't understand the difference between targeting and what I just witnessed," James fumed on X, formerly Twitter. "I've seen others get thrown out for far less. That was blatant and uncalled for IMO!”
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After the game, it was confirmed by Deion Sanders that Hunter will miss the next two weeks at least. His two-way superstar will miss crucial games against ranked teams and Pac-12 rivals, Oregon and USC, putting the Buffaloes' perfect 3-0 record at risk.
"First thing I’ve heard is he will be out a few weeks, but we gotta take care of him,” Sanders said. “He’ll probably want to be out two weeks but his health is more important than the game.”
Travis Hunter took a late hit in the first quarter, played into the second but had to withdraw and go to hospital (Getty)Hunter is in an "OK" condition following the hospital visit, as confirmed by his girlfriend, Leanna. Norvell says the increased physicality isn't uncommon in games that see two bitter rivals go head-to-head. "It's a rivalry game, it's supposed to be that way," Norvell told ESPN whether the game was getting too physical after multiple flags before word of Hunter's hospitalisation was revealed.
The Buffaloes will have to up their game if their unbeaten run is to continue, with all eyes on Colorado's football program at the moment. "We played like garbage in the first half," Deion Sanders said of Saturday's performance.
"The second half we did some things. We showed we were resilient. We showed we would fight. We showed we had no surrender or give up in us. That’s a lot for a team that’s fairly new.”
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