On Friday, the NFL announced that former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt is suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Hunt, now with the Cleveland Browns, has been fully cooperative in the investigation and accepts the NFL’s ruling without appeal.
Hunt has been on the commissioner’s exempt list since Nov. 30, the day the Chiefs released him. Video had surfaced of him hitting and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel last February.
The investigation from the NFL included review of all available law enforcement records, video and interviews with witnesses and Hunt. The league did not confirm whether it met with the victim in this incident.
The Browns released a statement today in which Hunt said the following:
“I want to again apologize for my actions last year. I know that my behaivor hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league’s decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me. I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of hard work ahead of me before I’m able to fully return to playing the game I love.”
Hunt is saying all the right things to get back into the league, but his actions will be the true determining factor. The Browns had expected that Hunt would get a longer suspension. The eight-game ban will allow Hunt to return with enough time to accrue a full NFL season, which will make him a restricted free agent in 2020. It also means that the Browns, with their newly assembled dream team, will get a fresh pair of legs for the final push of the season.
