What we know so far about the Kareem Hunt assault investigation

The RB was released by the Chiefs shortly after he was placed on commissioner’s exempt list.

The Kansas City Chiefs have released running back Kareem Hunt on Friday just hours after TMZ posted video of an alleged assault involving Hunt. In February, police were called to a Cleveland hotel to respond to an an incident with Hunt and a woman.

In the video a man, who is allegedly Hunt, is seen shoving a man and a woman and then later kicking the woman while she was on the ground.

No arrests or charges were made at the time, but there was a complaint filed against Hunt. The Kansas City Star obtained police reports of the incident that listed Hunt as the suspect in the case and assault as the charge.

Hunt was also accused of assault for an incident at a nightclub in January, but wasn’t arrested or charged, according to TMZ.

In an interview with ESPN after his release, Hunt said that he did not know the woman he was seen attacking in the video in February. They met that night. Asked what led to the incident, Hunt only said that “there were some things said and did that I did not like.”

He also told ESPN that he did not see or know of the video’s existence until it was posted by TMZ last week.

Why did the Chiefs release Hunt?

The Chiefs knew about the incident, but they claim Hunt lied to them about what happened:

“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. As part of our internal discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video released today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”

Here’s what Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said when he addressed the incident in August:

“The team’s made up of a bunch of young men,” Clark Hunt said via the Kansas City Star. “They’re not always going to make the best decisions, but we have a strong support system, both with the coaching staff and also with our player development department that works with young guys and talks to them about the situations that they want to be in.

“Kareem is a young man, second year in the league, obviously had a very big year on the field last year. I’m sure he learned some lessons this offseason and hopefully won’t be in those kind of situations in the future.”

Before the Chiefs cut him, Hunt was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list by the NFL on Friday afternoon. The league’s statement read:

The NFL has placed Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs on the Commissioner Exempt list, and as a result, he may not practice, play or attend games. The NFL’s investigation, which began immediately following the incident in February, will include a review of the new information that was made public today.

Hunt was subject to waivers, but went unclaimed. If a team eventually opts to sign him, Hunt will not be able to play, though he will still get paid as long as he’s on the exempt list. Only Roger Goodell can remove Hunt from the exempt list.

Hunt is a talented player who led the league in rushing as rookie, but any team that signs him would have serious questions to answer. Whether Hunt gets signed or not, he will still likely face a suspension following the league’s investigation.

What kind of punishment will Hunt face?

The NFL is expected to suspend Hunt for more than the six games because of this incident and another one from June where Hunt allegedly punched a man at a resort in Ohio. A third incident that’s come to light since the video of Hunt attacking the woman in Cleveland surfaced.

The former Chiefs running back was also allegedly involved in another incident in Kansas City in January 2018, following the team’s loss to the Titans in the playoffs. According to a police report obtained by TMZ, Hunt and another man, former NFL running back George Atkinson, beat a man who claims to have been coming to the defense of another man in a nightclub. Kansas City police said that the accusers would not cooperate and no arrests were made or charges filed.

TMZ has a video of that incident too, purporting to show Hunt being restrained after the fight.

Hunt is reportedly considering admitting his offense to the NFL, rather than wait for the league to conduct a full investigation. He would then start serving his suspension as soon as possible, once he was signed by a team, rather than wait on the exempt list.

Even with that, it’s unlikely that he would be eligible to play again until the 2019 season, if a team is willing to sign him.

Why wasn’t Hunt suspended before this?

That’s the question the NFL is facing. Just because charges weren’t filed doesn’t mean players can’t be punished. As the personal conduct policy states:

It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. We are all held to a higher standard and must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible, promotes the values of the NFL, and is lawful.

According to the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the standard punishment for assault is a six-game suspension without pay:

Violations involving assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault will result in a baseline six-game suspension for first offenses.

The new policy came in response to the 2014 assault case involving former Ravens running back Ray Rice.

The league launches its own investigations if there’s a possibility a player violated the personal conduct policy. According to the NFL, it started its investigation into Hunt in February and could not get any alleged victims to cooperate. Investigators did not talk to Hunt, according to Adam Schefter, relying on his explanation to the Chiefs, which proved to be untruthful, instead. Hunt also confirmed that detail in his interview with ESPN, that the NFL did not reach out to him for an interview as part of its investigation into the incident.

After Hunt’s interview with ESPN, the NFL released a new statement, claiming its investigation is still in progress:

The NFL’s investigation began immediately following the incident in February. Consistent with standard investigatory practices, the NFL continues to pursue a complete understanding of the facts. The NFL’s ongoing investigation will include further attempts to speak to the complainants involved in the incident. It will include a review of the new information that was made public on Friday – which was not available to the NFL previously – as well as further conversations with all parties involved in the incident.

The league’s statement Friday refers to the video as “new evidence,” though NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the NFL tried to get ahold of the video — the same video that TMZ was able to obtain:

The league’s claim that it attempted to obtain video was refuted by the Kansas City Star, though.

The National Football League did not file a formal request for records of the Feb. 10 incident in Cleveland involving former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt until Nov. 30, the same day TMZ published video footage of the assault at a hotel.

The Kansas City Chiefs never made a formal request, according to public records reviewed by The Star.

The NFL has been inconsistent with its punishment regarding these matters, even after altering its personal conduct policy following the Ray Rice incident back in 2014. Former Giants kicker Josh Brown initially received a one-game suspension after a domestic violence investigation. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was not charged, but the league investigated domestic violence allegations against him and then suspended him for six games. Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was suspended for four games for “threatening and emotionally abusive behaviors” toward an ex-girlfriend. Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was suspended for three games when he was accused of groping an Uber driver.

In February, then-49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested on domestic violence and weapon charges. He was later suspended for drug and gun charges after his accuser recanted the domestic violence claims. Now with Washington, Foster is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list while he deals with his latest arrest for domestic violence.

The NFL doesn’t need legal charges to decide whether to suspend a player. It shouldn’t need video proof either.