Sport

Kareem Hunt signs for Cleveland Browns two months after video of assault on woman

Video emerged of Hunt pushing and kicking a woman in a hotel corridor in February

Kareem Hunt led the NFL in rushing in his rookie season. Photograph: Jason Hanna/Getty Images

Mon Feb 11 2019 - 21:02

Controversial former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has been given a second chance in the NFL after being signed by the Cleveland Browns.

Hunt, 23, was released by the Chiefs in late November after a video emerged of him pushing and kicking a woman in a hotel corridor in February — reportedly in Cleveland.

No charges were filed by police but he was placed on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list, which banned him from practicing as well as playing in or attending games. He will return to the list until the league’s investigation into the incident concludes, with a possible suspension to follow.

Browns general manager John Dorsey, who drafted Hunt for the Chiefs in 2017, said in a statement issued on the Browns’ Twitter account: “My relationship and interaction with Kareem since 2016 in college was an important part of this decision-making process but we then did extensive due diligence with many individuals, including clinical professionals, to have a better understanding of the person he is today and whether it was prudent to sign him.

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“Kareem took full responsibility for his egregious actions and just as importantly, he is undergoing and is committed to necessary professional treatment.

“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. We fully understand that Kareem is subject to discipline from the NFL.”

Hunt added: “First off, I would like to once again apologise for my actions last February. What I did was wrong and inexcusable. That is not the man I was raised to be and I certainly should have been more truthful about it after the fact.

“I understand the expectations the Browns have clearly laid out and that I have to earn my way back to the NFL.”

Hunt led the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards in his rookie season, adding another 455 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. He followed that up with 824 yards rushing, 378 receiving and 14 touchdowns in 11 games in 2018 before his release.