NFL suspends Kareem Hunt for eight games over "altercations"
The NFL has suspended Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt for eight games after a video showed him kicking a woman and his involvement in a fight at a resort. The league on Friday cited a violation of its personal conduct policy "for physical altercations at his residence in Cleveland last February and at a resort in Ohio last June."
Hunt will not be paid during the half-season suspension, which he will not appeal. The 23-year-old said in a statement Friday he wants to "again apologize for my actions last year."
The NFL recently completed an investigation that included a review of law enforcement records, video and electronic communications and interviews with witnesses as well as Hunt, who said he met with Commissioner Roger Goodell last week.
Hunt has been working out at the Browns' facility in Berea, Ohio, and is scheduled to take part in the team's offseason program starting April 1. Hunt will be allowed to practice with the Browns through training camp until the suspension begins on August 31 after the final roster reduction.
Hunt was released last season by the Kansas City Chiefs after a video surfaced showing him pushing and kicking a woman. The footage drew a public outcry and led to the Chiefs cutting ties with one of its best players amid a Super Bowl push. Hunt later admitted lying to the Chiefs.
The Browns signed Hunt in February, saying he was remorseful. General manager John Dorsey drafted Hunt while he was in Kansas City and felt the Ohio native was contrite and deserved a second chance.
"We fully understand and respect the complexity of questions and issues in signing a player with Kareem's history and do not condone his actions," Dorsey said at the time, adding that the team believes Hunt "deserves a second chance but certainly with the understanding that he has to go through critical and essential steps to become a performing member of this organization."
The league said Hunt has told them he's committed to "available resources" and he has pledged to live up his obligations.
"I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them," Hunt said Friday in a statement released by the Browns. "I respect the league's decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I'm grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me."
"I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of hard work ahead of me before I'm able to fully return to playing the game I love."
Hunt's suspension comes during a busy week for the Browns, who acquired star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday in a trade with the New York Giants.
