The Kansas City Chiefs have cut star running back Kareem Hunt after a video surfaced appearing to show him pushing and kicking a woman.
The video first surfaced Friday via the website TMZ and shows an incident from February at a Cleveland hotel. No arrests were made as a result of the incident and Hunt has not been charged, according to NFL.com.
The video shows Hunt shoving the woman several times in a hotel hallway while people try to hold him back. At one point, the woman appears to stumble, and as she attempts to get up, Hunt kicks her back down.
The Chiefs organization tweeted Friday night that the NFL and law enforcement were investigating the issue.
“As part of our internal discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions,” the Chiefs said via Twitter. “The video released today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”
About 40 minutes before the Chiefs released their statement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy tweeted that Hunt was placed on the “Commissioner Exempt list,” meaning he can’t practice, play or attend games.
“The NFL’s investigation, which began immediately following the incident in February, will include a review of new information that was made public today,” McCarthy’s tweet read.
Hunt, 23, was drafted in 2017 in the 3rd round (86th overall). He played for the University of Toledo in Ohio.
Hunt released a statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this,” the statement read.
Soon after the Chiefs’ announcement, Hunt’s bio on the team’s website was taken down.
Three calls to 911
The surveillance footage is from a February 10 incident at a luxury hotel called the Metropolitan at the 9, according to police reports.
Dispatchers first received a call at 3:42 a.m. from a woman by the name of Abby Ottinger.
“I was assaulted and I need help,” she said on the call, appearing to be sobbing. When asked who assaulted her, she said “I think his first name is Kareem.”
Ottinger went on to explain to the dispatcher that her friends were meeting with Hunt’s friends to go out “and things went wrong.”
A second call came in at 3:55 a.m. from a man named Derek who did not want to give his last name. He explained to the dispatcher that there were “two women that have bruises and cuts all over them.”
The dispatcher asked Derek if he could hand to phone to the woman he was calling about.
“It’s my phone, I don’t need to pass it to someone that I don’t know,” he said.
A third call came in a 4:13 a.m. from another man who identified himself as the evening security officer at the hotel about an incident with two young women.
“I’ve been trying to figure out what the heck’s been going on,” he said.
He went on to tell the dispatcher that two women had gotten into an altercation after coming back from a nightclub.
The Metropolitan at the 9 released a statement saying it condemns all violent behavior.
“An incident occurred on our property in February (2018) involving Kareem Hunt. Mr. Hunt allegedly assaulted a woman on our premises. While we condemn all violent behavior, we realize that this is an ongoing investigation and cannot share any additional information at this time,” the statement read. “We respect the time our local officials have devoted to this situation and will continue to assist and cooperate in any way we can. We have and will always continue to offer a safe environment for all our guests and residents alike.”
Earlier inquires about suspending Hunt
While the incident took place in February, it was not addressed publicly until August.
When asked by reporters whether there were any concerns about Hunt going forward, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said the team has a lot of young men who aren’t “always going to make the best decisions.” He added the team’s support system — coaches and the player development department — was strong and there to discuss what situations players should be in.
“Kareem is a young man, second year in the league, obviously had a very big year on the field last year. I’m sure he learned some lessons this offseason and hopefully won’t be in those kinds of situations in the future,” he said.
Hunt, the CEO, was also asked whether the Chiefs expected any suspensions for the star running back.
“I really don’t but we tend not to be privy to those decisions that are made by the NFL,” he said.
Kareem Hunt also addressed questions in August about the incident.
“I’ve learned from it and I’m focused on football,” he said, adding that he’s learned to be in the right place at the right time. “(I’m) just going to keep thinking about football, go out there and do my job.”
Chiefs were the top of their conference
At 5-feet-11-inches and 216 pounds, Hunt was a top five running back who rushed 824 yards and scored seven touchdowns so far this season, according to NFL.com.
Hunt was selected for the 2018 Pro Bowl during his rookie year.
The Kansas City Chiefs are 9-2 this year and are first in the AFC West. They’re due to play the Oakland Raiders Sunday.
