The Cleveland Browns have today announced the signing of former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt.
Hunt, 23, was released by the Chiefs in late November after video footage of him pushing and kicking a woman surfaced.
In a statement released by the Cleveland Browns, GM John Dorsey, who drafted Hunt in Kansas City, explained his decision to sign the Pro Bowl running back.
"My relationship and interaction with Kareem since 2016 in college was an important part of this decision-making process but we then did extensive due diligence with many individuals, including clinical professionals, to have a better understanding of the person he is today and whether it was prudent to sign him," Dorsey said.
"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 professional treatment and a plan that has been clearly laid out."
Hunt also released a statement today, in which he once again apologized for the incident that occurred last February, and said he is "committed to following the necessary steps to learn and to be a better and healthier person from this situation."
"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."
Hunt is still on the Commissioner’s Exempt list and will most certainly receive a suspension of some length now that he is on a roster.
In 11 games with the Chiefs last season, Hunt rushed for 824 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with 378 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.