The Kansas City Chiefs announced Friday the release of running back Kareem Hunt after TMZ Sports posted a video of Hunt in a physical altercation with a 19-year-old woman at a Cleveland hotel in February.
No charges have been filed in the case. Friday marked the first time the video was made publicly available, a huge blow to a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Hunt appeared in each of the Chiefs’ first 11 games of the 2018 regular season. He tallied 1,202 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns. Performance-wise, he was on his way to an All-Pro season this year.
In a written statement, the Chiefs declared: “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.”
The Chiefs will move forward with Spencer Ware as their top running back. He is a proven player with 921 rushing yards and 447 receiving yards in 14 games in 2016.
Ware missed all of 2017 following a knee injury in the preseason. So far, he’s rushed for 124 yards on 22 carries with 165 yards on 14 receptions backing Hunt up. Given the system and the Chief’s historically great offense, Ware has a chance to close the season out as a real difference-maker. So much so the Chiefs might not miss a beat. Kansas plays arch-rivals the Oakland Raiders Sunday.
