Sports commentator Skip Bayless believes that Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Hunter’s decision to be baptized on the morning of a home game shows he is “mentally checking out” on his team.
“There is no way Travis Hunter should’ve chosen to be baptized on the morning of a game. He is losing interest. He is mentally checking out on the Jags,” Bayless, 73, wrote alongside a video posted via X on Wednesday, October 15.
Bayless laid the blame on the team for underutilizing Hunter, 22, to the point that he is losing focus.
“These are not normal circumstances for Travis Hunter, the football player,” he explained in the video. “The Jaguars are using him so little, especially on defense where he is the most gifted — all-time gifted — that Travis Hunter is starting to lose interest. He’s starting to check out mentally on the Jags.”
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He continued, “So he was actually happy to be baptized on a gameday morning because football isn’t taking that much concentration or focus or pregame mental prep. No, not now. Now I’m certainly not suggesting that getting baptized was any kind of protest on Travis’ part. It was just a stunning indication of where his head is at or not at right now. It’s not really into football right now.”
Hunter was baptized on Sunday, October 12, hours before his Jaguars lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 20-12, in a 1 p.m. ET game. He had four receptions for 15 yards on offense and two solo tackles on defense.
Bayless continued to heap praise on Hunter, a two-way player out of Colorado, where he was mentored by head coach and all-time great cornerback Deion Sanders.
“If given the correct opportunities, Travis Hunter will revolutionize modern day pro football as a two-way player, offense and defense,” he said. “He will be ultimately the second-best cornerback who ever played pro football to his father figure Deion Sanders.”
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Bayless, who said he was baptized as an infant, was also careful not to turn his criticism into a commentary on Hunter’s decision to be baptized at all — merely the timing.
“I’m so happy for him that he experienced such a special day. A rebirth,” he said. “God bless you, man. You did. This will pay huge dividends throughout your life.”
Asked after the game why he chose to get baptized that morning, Hunter responded, “It’s a crazy question. Why did I get baptized? It’s Sunday, it’s God’s day, and I’ve been planning to get baptized for a minute. I want to change my life, I want to become a better man.”
Hunter told NBC Sports on Wednesday that he is remaining patient with his team, despite a significant drop in usage compared to his college days.
“It’s very important for me to be patient,” he said. “I’ve just got to let the game come to me. The coaches are trying to dial up some things for me. I just got to continue to just work, and just have the guys trust me because I’m doing my job every time. I’ve just got to continue to do my job.”
The Jaguars are now 4-2 on the young season and will play the Los Angeles Rams in London on Sunday morning.
