BEREA, Ohio — Kareem Hunt is trying to restart his career in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns after the Kansas City Chiefs released him last November following the release of a video showing him assaulting a woman.
Recently, Hunt was questioned by police after an incident at a Downtown Cleveland establishment, and the Browns made it clear to the talented, yet troubled rusher that there might not be a third chance to make any NFL roster.
“We’re aware,” general manager John Dorsey said at team headquarters Wednesday.
“We reviewed the facts. We understood what the facts were. Freddie and I both had a chance to sit down with him, and he understands there’s no guarantees in life, and he is going about exactly what he is going about. He is working his fanny off on the field, as well as off the field.”
Hunt was released from his rookie contract on November 30, 2018 when video surfaced of him pushing, and later, kicking a woman at The 9 Hotel/apartment complex in Downtown Cleveland. Since that video became public, reports of other incidents involving Hunt have surfaced.
The 23-year old Hunt was shown having to be physically restrained by another member of a group that gathered in a hotel hallway.
Since his release, Hunt has sought professional help for anger management and taken on a more active role in the community, including making weekly visits to high schools to help the next generation avoid making similar mistakes.
“It’s never been harder to be a player in the National Football League,” Kitchens said. “Everything they do is under a microscope, and with the advancements of social media and all that kind of stuff, every little thing, it doesn’t matter how little or how small, it’s always going to be made into a bigger deal.”
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 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.
“Kareem’s always going to have our support,” Kitchens said. “We’re going to continue to support him, just like we do every player that we have. I’ll reiterate that we want them to be a better person 50 years from now and still be able to sustain and be successful in life than just worrying about right now.”