Kareem Hunt's Browns contract is manager John Dorsey's third acquisition of a player facing allegations of violence
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Kareem Hunt, the former Kansas City Chiefs star who was cut by the franchise in December following the release of a TMZ video which appeared to show the running back committing an act of domestic violence against a woman last February has found a new home with the Cleveland Browns. He was also accused of punching a man in June. Hunt signed a one-year contract with the team, per ESPN.
The long-beleaguered Browns were no doubt intrigued by Hunt's prodigious skills on the gridiron — he led the league in rushing as a rookie in 2017 and was on pace to rush for well over 1,000 yards again this past season before his suspension and release — and have been linked to the tailback since his initial release. But the acquisition has already warranted skepticism for its off-the-field consequences and what the signing might represent on a grander scale.
Browns general manager, John Dorsey, who originally drafted Hunt when he was serving in the same role with Kansas City, has a history of bringing players with allegations of violence into the fold. In 2016, he selected Kansas City's star wide receiver and Hunt's former teammate, Tyreek Hill, who was dismissed from Oklahoma State University's football team after a domestic violence arrest to which he pleaded guilty, and last year he used Cleveland's sixth-round draft pick on Antonio Callaway, who faced sexual assault allegations while at the University of Florida.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
ESPN reports that Dorsey said his relationship with Hunt influenced his decision, but that the team also "did extensive due diligence with many individuals, including clinical professionals" in order to determine "whether it was prudent" to sign him.
As it stands, Hunt is still subject to discipline at the hands of the NFL.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Maxwell pleads 5th, offers Epstein answers for pardonSpeed Read She offered to talk only if she first received a pardon from President Donald Trump
-
Hong Kong jails democracy advocate Jimmy LaiSpeed Read The former media tycoon was sentenced to 20 years in prison
-
Ex-Illinois deputy gets 20 years for Massey murderSpeed Read Sean Grayson was sentenced for the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey
-
Sole suspect in Brown, MIT shootings found deadSpeed Read The mass shooting suspect, a former Brown grad student, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Trump pardons crypto titan who enriched familySpeed Read Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from LouvreSpeed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 yearsSpeed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
