CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns announced Monday they were signing troubled running back Kareem Hunt.
Hunt was released late last season by the Kansas City Chiefs after video of him kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel came to light. Shortly before being released by the Chiefs, he was placed on the commissioner's exempt list.
In announcing his signing, Browns General Manager John Dorsey explained why he felt Hunt deserved a second chance.
“We fully understand and respect the complexity of questions and issues in signing a player with Kareem’s history and do not condone his actions. Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance but certainly with the understanding that he has to go through critical and essential steps to become a performing member of this organization, aside from what the NFL determines from their ongoing investigation," Dorsey said in a statement. "We fully understand that Kareem is subject to discipline by the NFL. Here at the Browns, there is a detailed plan with expectations laid out that he understands and must follow, because any similar incident will not be tolerated. We will support Kareem through this process and utilize our resources, however permitted, to help him become successful on and off the field as long as he continues to show the commitment necessary to represent this organization.”
Hunt also released a statement through the team, apologizing for his past actions and thanking the team for an opportunity.
“First off, I would like to once again apologize for my actions last year. What I did was wrong and inexcusable. That is not the man I was raised to be, and I’ve learned a great deal from that experience and certainly should have been more truthful about it after the fact. I’m extremely grateful that John Dorsey, Dee and Jimmy Haslam and the Cleveland Browns organization are granting me the opportunity to earn their trust and represent their organization in the best way possible on and off the field. I am committed to following the necessary steps to learn and to be a better and healthier person from this situation. I also understand the expectations that the Browns have clearly laid out and that I have to earn my way back to the NFL. I’m a work in progress as a person, but I’m committed to taking advantage of the support systems that I have in place to become the best and healthier version of myself.”
The NFL investigation into last February's incident continues with Hunt still subject to possible league discipline. During his annual state of the league speech at the Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he believes the investigation into Hunt would be completed soon.