Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt is reportedly getting help on multiple fronts as he seeks to return to the NFL.
After an offseason marked by Kareem Hunt doing all of the wrong things, the former Kansas City Chiefs running back is focused on doing all of the right things in an effort to rehabilitate his image and return to the game of football as soon as possible.
Hunt was released by the Chiefs and placed on a Commissioner’s exemption list by the NFL after a video surfaced by TMZ Sports that proved Hunt had assaulted a woman back in February—an incident for which Hunt insisted he was the victim and police failed to file charges. The Chiefs in their release disclosed that Hunt had lied to the team on multiple occasions, and Hunt himself verified that accusation by admitting his lies in a statement.
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What further exacerbates Hunt’s situation is that two other incidents have also surfaced over time from the offseason. The first was a known incident from June, four months after the assault when Hunt allegedly punched a man at a resort in Ohio. Charges were never filed there either. Now, however, a TMZ investigation has found a third offseason incident from last January at a nightclub in Kansas City where Hunt was accused of attacking a man. Once again, official charges were never filed and victims in all cases, per TMZ, stopped cooperating with police shortly after each incident.
Despite the lack of legal issues for Hunt, the NFL is free and clear to punish Hunt however it feels necessary and given the presence of the video and the public outrage, there’s simply no way that Hunt gets off without a significant punishment—likely a suspension that lasts several games. Hunt will have already served a five-game suspension given that he’ll miss the rest of the regular season after playing in the first 11 games. That time served will likely be applied to whatever the commissioner’s office dreams up.
Hunt is reportedly doing whatever it takes to seek help on his end and show that he’s doing what it takes to not only control his behavior and make better choices in the future but also to create accountability so that such situations will never happen again. Per a report from CBS Sports analyst Jason La Canfora on Sunday:
"I’m told that Kareem Hunt is meeting with a women’s group. He’s being mentored by a pastor. He’s seeing counselors, getting therapy for anger management and for alcohol issues. At some point he’ll return to the gym to start making sure he’s in football shape."
La Canfora goes on to say that a return to the NFL by Hunt in 2019 is a foregone conclusion unless further evidence of unknown activity is leaked in the future. The Chiefs have already made it clear that bridges have been burned, but other teams will appreciate the fact that the dust has settled on Hunt’s drama and take the chance on the obvious talent he has.
"Barring the unforeseen in terms of another video or another incident we don’t know about, I and the other teams I talked to still fully expect him to be signed at some point in 2019 after we know what discipline he’s facing. At this point, the interview with the NFL is not scheduled, but I’m told he’s eager and ready to talk as soon as the NFL wants to interview him"
Hunt was the sixth rookie in NFL history to lead the league in rushing yards (1,327), and the Toledo product had 14 total touchdowns for the Chiefs through only 11 games.