Getty Images Kareem Hunt during pregame warmups earlier in the season.
Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt wasted no time trying to redeem himself, and apologize for his actions from February of 2018. Although the Chiefs were aware of an incident involving Hunt and a young woman getting in a physical altercation, it took video evidence for the team to realize that Hunt needed to be released.
Now, Kareem Hunt is waived, and unclaimed as he is unsure as to whether he will get signed by another team in the NFL ever again. If he doesn’t, we’re sure he will understand – but Kareem Hunt wasn’t going to sit back and let it all blow over. Hours after TMZ Sports released the video to the public, Hunt didn’t know what to expect. His team released him, using Hunt’s dishonesty with the situation as the sole reason why.
Knowing that there was video proof of Hunt involved in a physical altercation with a woman, along with zero context, Hunt and his camp knew that they needed to do something. An apology, a statement, and a Q&A required to be released as soon as possible in order to attempt re-building the running back’s image immediately after everything quickly went down.
Did the Interview Change Anybodies Views?
For an unknown reason, Hunt and his team decided to contact ESPN and request an interview with Lisa Salters specifically. Salters willingly took the opportunity and hopped on a plane to Kansas City, Missouri and headed over to Hunt’s apartment with her camera crew. In order to get an authentic feeling for the interview, Salters avoided any conversations with Hunt outside of a standard greeting.
When the interview eventually aired this past Sunday, there was a backlash. As expected, there weren’t many NFL fans who felt any better towards Kareem Hunt. Despite putting out an apology, the interview came off as very awkward and just might’ve backfired for Hunt and his camp. The vibe seemed off, and Hunt didn’t seem very prepared, or truly open to discussing the situations in-depth. Once the interview aired, it appeared that the majority of those who watched it felt a negative emotion towards Hunt. And many accused Hunt’s apology as being insincere.
How Does Lisa Salters Feel about It All?
“I could see Kareem Hunt was extremely remorseful, but I think I felt more emotion from him when the cameras were off. When the interview was over we spent a couple minutes talking. I really could feel his remorse more then than I think it translated on camera.”
“I don’t know how much he helped himself or hurt himself yesterday, but I felt he was much more thoughtful when the cameras were off, which isn’t entirely unexpected. I have interviewed him before, he’s a quiet guy. Some guys just light up on camera; he’s not one of those guys. He’s shy, quiet, reserved. And I noted he was extremely uncomfortable and he was very nervous. That’s what people saw more of than a thoughtful, really sorrowful individual. And yet he was those things, which I could tell when the cameras were off.”
ESPN’s Lisa Salters had the honor of conducting the interview this past weekend. She was personally requested by Hunt as that is who he felt comfortable with after working with Salters before in the past. After the interview took place and aired, Salters was unsure of how the public would perceive the entire video.
As it comes to no surprise, Hunt’s reaction to everything did not go over well, and Salters herself was unsure of it all would while doing the interview. After answering questions for The Washington Post regarding the discussion, Salters made it clear that she believes Hunt showed more emotion when the cameras were off, rather than when he was being filmed.