CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns took a risk when they signed free-agent running back Kareem Hunt to a one-year deal in mid-February, as he is still being investigated by the National Football League for his assault of a woman at a Cleveland hotel last winter.
Although the Browns denounced Hunt’s actions, both immediately after the signing and while speaking at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, general manager John Dorsey is confident the one-time Pro Bowl running back will make improvements in his life away from football.
“Within his person, deep down, if you really sit and engage with him, he has a really good heart,” Dorsey said during his annual press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“He really does. Now, the act that he did last year was very egregious. We all know that, but the degree of remorse that he has shown, and he is so committed to showing, through his actions and not his words, that he is going to be a better person.”
A product of the University of Toledo, Hunt was released from his rookie contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on November 30, 2018 when video surfaced of him pushing down, and later, kicking a woman at The 9 Hotel in Downtown Cleveland.
Since that video, which also showed him having to be physically restrained by another member of the group before the situation escalated further, became public, reports of other physical incidents involving Hunt have surfaced.
“We had done our research with regard to Kareem,” Dorsey said. “We thought, at the appropriate time, with the information that we did have, listening to his story, listening to how truly remorseful he was with regard to the egregious act that transpired, knowing that once he comes here, there are no guarantees.
“What he’s going to do is he’s going to earn your respect and earn everybody’s respect within the Cleveland Browns organization by his actions and not his words. I’ve always lived by this. If, at the end of the day, a player can leave not only as a good player, but as a better person, you’ve done your job, and that’s what we’re attempting to do here. Right now, I feel really comfortable with this signing.”
In two years with the Chiefs, Hunt rushed for 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns with 106 first downs, 19 plays going for at least 20 yards and four were 40-yard gains. Additionally, Hunt caught 79 passes out of the backfield for 833 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a single-season career high seven in 2018.
As a rookie, Hunt rushed 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.
“At any position, I will add as much competition as I can,” Dorsey said. “That’s what our job is, to add the best competition at all positions on the 90-man roster, and I will do that.”
