Getty Browns running back Kareem Hunt.
Kareem Hunt didn’t find himself in a good spot when he was pulled over this offseason just before the Super Bowl, but he’s glad the Cleveland Browns decided to stick with him through it.
Hunt was pulled over for speeding in Cleveland in January and it was found he had both marijuana and open alcohol containers in his vehicle. Video then emerged of the stop that didn’t paint Hunt in the best light. In the nearly six-minute long clip, Hunt tells the officer that he was trying to catch a flight and pleads his case saying “I’ve been through a lot” multiple times. Hunt was only issued a speeding ticket but it caught the attention of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.
“It’s not good. Kareem knows he’s got to do better,” Haslam told reporters. “What he did was not acceptable. He’s got to do better.”
Hunt knows he’s on thin ice and it very well could have been the final straw for his NFL career if the Browns decided to part ways with him.
“I am blessed that the Browns gave me another opportunity,” Hunt said on a conference call with reporters on Monday. “So yes, I am lucky to have another opportunity to play football,” Hunt said. “Honestly, I am just blessed to play the game, so I always feel lucky to play football. I know any second it can be gone. I guess so.”
Hunt doesn’t plan on putting himself in that kind of situation again.
“I would say that was out of character. I learned from it,” Hunt said. “I have been working to become a better person each and every day. Definitely not looking for anything like that to happen again. I have been working. Now, I am focused on football, working out and getting ready for the season.
“I have to do better. I should not have done it. Ready to move on from that and focus on football.”
Kareem Hunt Happy for Chiefs After Super Bowl Victory
The Browns took a chance signing Hunt in 2019, bringing the former NFL rushing champ in after he was cut by the Chiefs when video emerged of him in an altercation with a woman at a Cleveland hotel in February of 2018.
In his first two seasons in Kansas City, Hunt — a Toledo product — racked up 2,151 rushing yards and 833 receiving yards. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017 as the league’s leading rusher and was on pace for another strong season before being let go by Kansas City. So when he was let go and then watched his former team win the Super Bowl, it stung. However, Hunt said he’s moved on and is now happy for his former teammates.
“I have moved on from that. I love those guys,” Hunt said. “I got brothers on that team. I came in with a lot of those players. Love the coaches there. All good people and they deserved it, and I am happy for them. I talk to a lot of them and I am very happy for them. They are champs — they deserve it. I know how hard that team works and how hard they stress to be great.”
Kareem Hunt Sees Long-Term Future in Cleveland
GettyBrowns running back Kareem Hunt
After returning to the active lineup following an eight-game suspension, Hunt finished last season with 179 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. He also caught 37 balls out of the backfield for 285 yards.
The Browns signed Hunt to a second-round tender this offseason, securing another season with Hunt and Nick Chubb working in tandem out of the backfield. Hunt, a Cleveland native, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but has the Browns in his long-term plans.
“No question. I would definitely like to be a part of something like this. Everybody is here I care about,” Hunt said. “I know everybody in the whole town. I would not mind playing for the Browns for a long time.”
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