Less than an hour after the NFL placed Kareem Hunt on the Commissioner Exempt list, the Chiefs cut the Pro Bowl running back last night. The transaction followed the release of a TMZ video that showed Hunt pushing a woman to the ground and kicking her while on the floor in an incident at a Cleveland hotel this past February.
“Earlier this year, we were made aware of an incident involving running back Kareem Hunt,” the Chiefs said in their statement. “At that time, the National Football League and law enforcement initiated investigations into the issue. As part of our internal discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video released today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”
Predictably, there have been a number of reactions and observations following the transaction, which we’ve compiled below:
- Yahoo’s Terez Paylor believes the Chiefs’ statement was “unusually firm,” noting that team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt was presumably acting in the best interest of the NFL. The writer says it wouldn’t have been much of surprise if the organization held on to Hunt and let him sit on the exempt list until there was some kind of resolution. Ultimately, Paylor believes the Chiefs were trying to avoid the narrative that they had “an indifferent attitude about violence against women,” especially following their selection of wideout Tyreek Hill and the tragic death of Jovan Belcher.
- Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com dives more into the different approaches the Chiefs took with Hill and Hunt. Hill was involved in a 2014 domestic violence case that saw him getting kicked off the Oklahoma State football team and being removed from a number of subsequent draft boards. Hill eventually pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation, and he was slapped with a three-year probation. The Chiefs still selected the wideout in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, and Smith surmise’s that their decision (especially when compared to the Hunt transaction) was attributed to a lack of video evidence. The writer notes that the Ray Rice case proves that “video makes things different,” and he also notes that Hill was already sentenced before he was selected.
- Following the NFL’s decision to suspend Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games following an alleged domestic violence incident, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wonders if the league has “softened its stern, unforgiving approach to off-field misconduct.” If the NFL didn’t actively pursue video of the Hunt video, the writer believes it’s an indication that the league is looking for a middle ground between the Elliott and Hunt ordeals.
- Judy Battista of NFL.com writes that Hunt’s waiver status creates a “moral quandary” for the other 31 NFL teams. The writer says a potential waiver claim can’t be dismissed, especially after the Redskins claimed Reuben Foster (who was waived by the 49ers following his arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident). Battista ultimately believes that the biggest difference between Hunt and Foster is the presence of a video; a team can be willfully ignorant to any indiscretions if there isn’t any footage of an alleged incident.
- NESN’s Doug Kyed points out one “messed up” aspect of Hunt being waived: assuming the running back passes through waivers and signs a deal before next season, he’ll end up earning more than the $667K and $735K he was set to make via his rookie deal (Twitter link). Kyed adds that if Hunt is claimed on waivers, it’d end up being worse for him financially, and if a team plans on eventually signing Hunt, it may be in their best financial interest to claim him.
So how long until the Cowboys pick him up? Off season probably?
The redskins are more likely to claim him than the cowboys!
Zeke got his harsh punishment bc Goodell wanted to mess with Jerry Jones. Clearly it wasn’t about making an “example”
Yet rapist like Big Ben and murderers like Ray Lewis are put on a pedestal. Makes no sense. Maybe Billacheat paid someone to release this video now.
Completely agree with you. Then they put Jerry Jones in the HOF. For What? Picking his nose on live TV? It is a joke.
Awww a butthurt piece of garbage
Don’t forget how Adrian Peterson did child abuse then last month came out and said he stopped hitting his son with a switch he he learned his lesson and uses a belt now
I get the video surfacing bring a different light to the situation. But it’s very hypocritical of the Chiefs considering they drafted and use Tyreke Hill as a poster boy so to speak. And obviously this isn’t making light of the situation like Doug Williams did. But it wasn’t near as violent as Mixon or Ray Rice. While saying all the I agree with the release and I feel if a man hits a woman and is convicted he should 100% lose his job. And once a video surfaces that’s a conviction in my book
Jonesadoug I agree with you one hundred percent on the raping Rothless(#pieceofshit)Burger and #Loudmouth Lewis.
But you did not need to reference my Patriots, but I understand your jealousy!
So did we get any facts out of this yet about context? All I keep seeing are people insinuating she is underage and was drinking and when he found out he wanted her to leave, and then this turned into a fiasco. So obviously she had to have escalated it to a point to make this guy go all raged out b/c he clearly had some sense in telling her to leave once he found out she was underage. Maybe it was a reaction to another woman in his group getting assaulted by this girl? There’s no footage of the other hallway… yet. TMZ probably is waiting to release that, need to bank on this exposure first. So just curious when all the facts are laid out.
I like how the Chiefs are a ‘Stand up’ organization 8 months after the fact. The Chiefs and NFL choose not to look for the video. They had over half the season to see if the O would be fine w/o him. Then seeing what Mahomes brought, gave them a perfect excuse take the ‘high ground’.
That is incorrect. The NFL asked for the video and were refused, even the police department refused to share the video. Without evidence they had to trust on Hunt’s word about what happened. Since he lied, they released him. If he hadn’t lied about what happened, I’m sure he wouldn’t have been released.
The police department said they didn’t even have the video. They said it was only a misdemeanor case, so they didn’t do a follow up, and that they only do follow ups for felonies..
Raiders should claim him