On March 15, 2019 the NFL formally handed down its punishment of an eight-game suspension on the Cleveland Brown’s running back, Kareem Hunt, for violating the personal conduct policy. This penalty is in regard to a reported violent altercation that occurred in February of 2018 outside his home in Cleveland, OH. At the time of the incident, Hunt was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, and there were no repercussions as he was not charged with a crime and there was no evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
It was not until November 30th, 2018 that any action was taken when TMZ released a video of him pushing and kicking a woman on that early morning in February of 2018. The Kansas City Chiefs immediately released the running back citing that he had lied about his involvement in that situation. No other team would go on to sign the controversial player for the remainder of last season. The NFL then began an investigation in to the domestic dispute, and they have decided that an eight-game suspension was appropriate for his actions.
The Cleveland Browns Sign Hunt in Offseason
The rebuilding NFL franchise determined that the positives of having the star running heavily outweigh the negatives. Cleveland and Hunt have agreed to a one-year deal for the upcoming 2019-2020 NFL season after which he becomes a restricted free agent.
The Contract
“The contract is worth a total of $1.1 million; however, it's not going to be easy for Hunt to collect all of that. The biggest part of Hunt's contract is his base salary, which will pay him a total of $645,000 in 2019. The running back will also get paid a $25,000 bonus for every game that he's on the Browns' active roster. Hunt can also collect another $55,000 if he meets the criteria for his offseason workout bonus.”
Here’s what Hunt had to say…
"I want to again apologize for my actions last year," Hunt said in a statement. "I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league's decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner [Roger] Goodell last week. I'm grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me. I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of hard work ahead of me before I'm able to fully return to playing the game I love.”
Moving Forward for Hunt and the Browns
Hunt has accepted the decision handed down by the commissioner, Roger Goodell, and the NFL. Unlike most other players who get suspended by the league, he will not appeal the ruling. This is the smart manner in which to handle this situation as it is better for him to miss the beginning of the season rather than miss the end of it or the playoffs for that matter. With Hunt sitting out the first half of the regular season the Cleveland Browns will start Nick Chubb in the backfield, and as of now they still have Duke Johnson available as well.
Public Reactions
There have been three main responses to the severity of the punishment from the National Football League. Some people undoubtedly believe that it is not a strong enough message with the eight-game suspension, and they think he should have been suspended for the entire 2019-2020 season or even banning him from playing in the NFL ever again. Which definitely sends a heavy message that this behavior will not be tolerated in any capacity.
Others say that this penalty is too severe and that he should miss the first 6 games this year. This may seem light, but let’s remember that Hunt missed the last 5 games in 2018-2019 season, which would have included some playoff games and a possible chance to help the Chiefs get to the Super Bowl as well. The majority of people reacting to this situation find the decision by the NFL to force Kareem miss the first 8-games of the season to be reasonable, fair, and that the punishment fits the crime so to speak.
Sources:
“Kareem Hunt contract details revealed: Browns might not even have to pay him $1 million in 2019”, John Breech, cbssports.com, February 13, 2019.
“NFL suspends Browns RB Kareem Hunt eight games”, Kevin Patra, nfl.com, March 15, 2019.
LadyEnygma 5 years ago Full Member
This doesn't surprise me. Although I don't follow the NFL Closely, you see more and more stories like this in the news. These men seem to have a history of violence and especially towards women. It makes me sick that because they are NFL players get away with these things because they are football players.
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DomLatVit 5 years ago Newbie
The NFL handled this as they always do and did what they thought people wanted. Always trying to make everyone happy.
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