Kareem Hunt Released From Kansas City Chiefs

David Cross via Flickr

NFL

Kareem Hunt Released From Kansas City Chiefs

Following a disturbing video released by TMZ, running back Kareem Hunt has been placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list and released from the Kansas City Chiefs.

With Hunt being placed on the exempt list, he will not be able to practice nor play in any games. The Chiefs releasing Hunt is a strong message from the team, showing they will not tolerate such behavior. It is entirely possible that the league’s investigation will go throughout the end of this season, possibly rolling into next year as well.

What’s Next for Hunt?

This situation eerily relates to the Ray Rice fiasco of 2014, which will certainly end badly for Hunt. Kareem Hunt’s actions are horrendous and should be punished to the fullest extent of the NFL and the law. With Kansas City releasing Hunt, he will be unemployed throughout this investigation and possibly out of the league for the rest of his career. The NFL will certainly learn from their botched investigation and punishment of Ray Rice, making Hunt the new standard for all domestic violence cases going forward. While Hunt is extremely talented, his actions were unforgivable and he does not deserve the right to play in the NFL again.

What’s Next for Kansas City?

Kansas City sent a strong message, immediately releasing the back following the video being released. It is being reported that neither the NFL nor the Chiefs had access to the video and were not aware of the actions that took place.

The team noted that Hunt lied to them during their internal investigation and was a driving factor in the release. With no video to fact check, Hunt was cleared and returned to football activity early this year. Losing Hunt will hurt the Chiefs, but they did the right thing and acted quickly. Replacing Hunt will be a tall task for the team, as he has recorded 1,202 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The team now suddenly turns to Spencer Ware to carry the backfield. Ware has done a serviceable job as the backup thus far. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry this year and has scored one touchdown on the ground. Kansas City will certainly suffer from the loss of Hunt, but they will overcome. Andy Reid has too many talented weapons on the Chiefs roster to fall to far.

Final Observations

The Chiefs deserve a ton of credit for quickly releasing Hunt following the release of this video. Kansas City could have easily done what Baltimore did in 2014 and defend their talented player. By cutting ties with Hunt, it shows the team will not sacrifice morals for talent. Hunt will have to endure an investigation and, following the results, his public image may be beyond repair. With this story being so similar to the Ray Rice incident, it is hard to see Kareem Hunt in the NFL ever again. Hunt has apologized for his actions and will now await the sentencing of the NFL.

Photo Credit: David Cross via Flickr

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