KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt on Friday night after video surfaced showing the 2017 NFL season’s rushing leader knocking over and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel hallway in February.
The Chiefs issued a statement shortly after the NFL placed Hunt on its Commissioner Exemption List that said the running back lied when asked about the incident by team officials. The team said “the video today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”
Hunt was at the Chiefs’ facility earlier Friday in preparation for Sunday’s trip to Oakland, but he was excused and sent home shortly after TMZ posted the video online. It shows Hunt being restrained several times by friends before pushing a woman to the ground, where he proceeds to kick her.
Police were called to the scene during the Feb. 10 incident, no charges were filed. The police did not respond to several requests for comment Friday night.
“Earlier this year, we were made aware of an incident involving running back Kareem Hunt. At that time, the National Football League and law enforcement initiated investigations into the issue,” the Chiefs wrote in a news release. “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.”