Browns Running Back Kareem Hunt Suspended For 8 Games

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt will be suspended for eight games next season, the NFL announced on Friday.

Hunt, a Willoughby native, was a star for the Kansas City Chiefs until video surfaced of him attacking a woman at The 9 Hotel in downtown Cleveland in February 2018. Video footage from that night, recorded from a hallway ceiling in the hotel, shows Hunt lunging for, pushing and kicking a 19-year-old woman. The woman told police she suffered scrapes on her hands and knees in the altercation.

Hunt reportedly lied about the incident when confronted by both Chiefs and NFL officials. When the video surfaced months later, Hunt was cut from the Chiefs and spent the rest of the year as a free agent. He was signed by the Browns in February 2019.

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On Friday, through the Browns organization, Hunt released a statement accepting the suspension.

“I want to again apologize for my actions last year. I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league’s decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me. I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of hard work ahead of me before I’m able to fully return to playing the game I love.”

Several people took to Twitter to criticize the NFL for being too lenient in its punishment.