CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt will not play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Detroit Lions after the team announced that he underwent surgery earlier in the day to repair a sports hernia.
The Browns do expect Hunt to be ready for action when his eight-game suspension expires prior to the team's Week 10 matchup against the Buffalo Bills on November 10.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the NFL informed the Browns on the eve of the preseason finale that Hunt will not be able to come to the team facility during his suspension. Hunt will be eligible to return to team activities and facilities after the Browns’ game at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, November 3.
A standout player for South High School in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby, and later, the University of Toledo, Hunt was released from his rookie contract on November 30, 2018 when video showed him pushing and kicking a woman at The 9 Hotel in Downtown Cleveland. Since that video became public, reports of other incidents involving Hunt have surfaced.
During the video, the 23-year old Hunt was seen having to be physically restrained by another member of a group that had gathered in a hallway.
“I’m just gonna lay low and continue working at being a better person and get ready for this season,” Hunt said during training camp.
In two years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt rushed for 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns with 106 first downs, 19 plays going for at least 20 yards and four 40-yard gains. Additionally, Hunt caught 79 passes out of the backfield for 833 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a single-season career high of seven in 2018.
As a rookie in 2017, Hunt went from not expected to have a large role in the offense to rushing for an NFL-best 1,327 yards on 272 carries, an average of 4.9 yards per attempt, which earned him a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl team.