Did The Browns Make The Right Decision Signing Kareem Hunt?
By: Omar Cook
The NFL has been under scrutiny for a number of reasons lately including the lack of physicality in gameplay now, the national anthem protests, and how they have handled domestic violence incidents. Kareem Hunt was a star running back for the Kansas City Chiefs before being released early last season after video footage showed him assaulting a woman. Of course Kansas City made the right move by immediately releasing him because domestic violence is nothing to be played with.
Hunt went unsigned for the remainder of the season and it seemed as if this incident was going to be the early end to a promising young career. It’s unfortunate that certain athletes find themselves in trouble over situations they can control, and this was a mistake that was costly for him. It hasn’t taken long for him to bounce back though now that the Cleveland Browns decided to sign Hunt during this off season. You have to ask, what kind of message are the Browns and NFL sending by letting this happen so soon?
BREAKING: Kareem Hunt has signed with the Cleveland #Browns. Hunt was released from the Kansas City #Chiefs following this video’s release showing Hunt in a hotel where he shoved and kicked a woman. pic.twitter.com/miqZQ2Eorq
— Couch Guy Sports Podcast (@CouchGuyPodcast) February 11, 2019
I’m all for second chances, and I understand people make mistakes, but did he really learn his lesson. We’ve seen incidents like this before most notably with Ray Rice and the assault on his wife. Rice was pretty much exiled from the league and hasn’t touched the field since. What makes this situation any different? The obvious answer is the Cleveland Browns are trying to turn their organization around and Kareem Hunt is a premier talent that can help them win. At the end of the day, this is about winning. We’ve seen Colin Kaepernick get black balled from the league for making a statement on his beliefs, but yet it seems as if domestic violence gets a pass from the league now.
This is a huge statement from the Browns about how they deal with cases like this and one that has many people shocked at how fast he got signed. Hunt was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list after being released by the Chiefs which means he cannot practice or play with the team until the NFL finishes it’s investigation on the incident. This will result in the NFL deciding on whether Hunt will serve suspension for a number of games which would start week 1 of 2019. In the football world, the Browns made a good decision by signing this back early before another team jumped on him. But morally speaking, this is too soon. The NFL hasn’t even concluded it’s own investigation on the incident and the message it sends to women and fans is that the NFL takes domestic violence lightly.
Talent trumps all. If you can be a playmaker, it seems there will always be a spot for you in the NFL, no matter what you do…just as long as you don’t kneel for the anthem.
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