In a move that has rocked the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs have released star running back Kareem Hunt. The decision came after a video surfaced on Friday that showed him in a hotel altercation shoving and kicking a woman.
The incident in question occurred in February and no arrests were made at the time in the immediate aftermath. However, the video didn’t surface until Friday, courtesy of TMZ.
In the video, Hunt engages in a verbal altercation with a woman in a hotel hallway while his entourage attempts to defuse the situation. But as the altercation escalates, the NFL star pushes her multiple times—eventually shoving her onto the ground before kicking her as she attempts to get back up.
As a result of this newly-released footage, the Chiefs organization announced on Twitter that the NFL and law enforcement were investigating the issue.
“Earlier this year, we were made aware of an incident involving running back Kareem Hunt. At that time, the National Football League and law enforcement initiated investigations into the issue,” the Chiefs announced on Twitter. “As a part of our international discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”
Soon after this announcement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy tweeted that Hunt had been placed on the “Commissioner Exempt list,” which prohibits him from participating in practice, as well as playing or attending any games.
“The NFL’s investigation, which began immediately following the incident in February, will include a review of new information that was made public today,” McCarthy’s tweeted.
But with the NFL taking a much harder stance against domestic violence and incidents of this nature in recent years, despite his tremendous value, the Chiefs made the decision to outright release their star running back instead.
In a subsequent statement issued to ESPN, Hunt announced: “I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this.”
Hunt was drafted in 2017 in the 3rd round (86th overall) and made an immediate impact on the Chiefs, totaling 11 touchdowns, 1,327 yards on the ground, and 1782 yards from scrimmage. In college, he played for the University of Toledo in Ohio.
At 5-feet-11-inches and 216 pounds, the 23-year-old Pro Bowler was easily a top five running back. In 11 games this season, he had rushed for 824 yards and scored a total 14 touchdowns so far.
He was an invaluable cog to the Kansas City Chiefs’ impressive 9-2 record.
The Chiefs are scheduled to play the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.