The Cleveland Browns got better Monday, but they also got a lot more controversial.
The Browns announced Monday afternoon that they’ve signed running back Kareem Hunt. Hunt’s agreement with the club is a one-year deal that could be worth more than $1 million, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported shortly after the team’s announcement.
The former Kansas City Chiefs running back was released in late November after video surfaced of him pushing and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel a year ago.
Browns general manager John Dorsey, who drafted Hunt when he was with the Chiefs, released a statement after the news was announced.
“There were two important factors: one is that Kareem took full responsibility for his egregious actions and showed true remorse and secondly, just as importantly, he is undergoing and is committed to necessary treatment and a plan that has been clearly laid out,” Dorsey said in the statement.
Dorsey added: “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.
Hunt has yet to be formally disciplined by the NFL, and he’ll now go on the commissioner’s exempt list until a decision is made, ESPN’s Dan Graziano pointed out.
From a football perspective, Hunt does make a lot of sense for the Browns. He was terrific for Kansas City in his rookie season in 2017, leading the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards while also catching 53 passes for 455 yards. He was on a similar rushing pace in 2018 and was tremendous as a pass-catcher, averaging 14.5 yards per reception in 2018 before being released.
That being said, though, Cleveland now will have plenty of questions to answer before Hunt makes his eventual debut for the hometown team.
