"Very unfortunate. I'm sad" - Deion Sanders reacts to Henry Blackburn receiving death threats following his hit on Travis Hunter

The talk coming out of the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Saturday was the hit on Travis Hunter, and Deion Sanders addressed a situation that has been unfolding.

During his news conference on Wednesday, Sanders discussed the threats that Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn has been receiving. Blackburn hit Hunter on the sideline, which caused an injury to Hunter.

Sanders made it abundantly clear that he forgave Blackburn:

"He made a tremendous hit on Travis (Hunter) on the sideline. You could call it dirty. You could call it he was just playing the game. But ... it does not constitute that he should be receiving death threats. This is still a young man trying to make it."

Sanders also pled with Colorado Buffaloes fans to not send any threats Blackburn's way.

"He does not deserve a death threat over a game. Very unfortunate. I'm sad. If there's any of our fans that's on the other side of those threats, I would hope and pray not, but that kid was just playing to the best of his ability. He made a mistake. So, I forgive him."

Deion Sanders also said that Hunter has forgiven Blackburn as well.

How will Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes do without Travis Hunter?

Deion Sanders has his hands full as the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) are approaching the Pac-12 portion of their schedule. They will be without cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter with a reported lacerated liver that will keep him sidelined for at least three weeks. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, it could not come at a tougher stretch.

The Buffaloes face off on the road against the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks (3-0) on Saturday and then host the fifth-ranked USC Trojans (3-0) in Week 5. Those games were going to be difficult for the CU regardless, but without Travis Hunter, it is even more challenging.

It would not be surprising if Colorado ends up 3-2 (0-2 Pac-12) by the time they face off against Arizona State (1-2) in Week 6. However, this Buffaloes team has shown to have poise and has won games in many different ways, so it will be interesting to see how coach Deion Sanders has his team going forward.

Some players are going to need to step up in Hunter's absence, and that can give Colorado the chance to surprise a lot more people.