On Monday it was announced that Kareem Hunt would be signed by the Cleveland Browns. Hunt originally played for the Kansas City Chiefs, but was dropped after a video surfaced of him assaulting a woman in a hotel. With the Browns now picking Hunt up, they have to deal with the firestorm surrounding him.
In terms of football alone, Hunt is an excellent player. His rookie season in 2017 saw him lead the NFL in rushing yards and be selected to the Pro Bowl. Before his public image was diritied forever, he was looking at an extremely promising career and incredible success. If the Browns were looking for a strong running back, Hunt is it.
One big problem with this signing is that the Browns don’t need a good running back; they already have one in Nick Chubb. Chubb was tenth in the NFL in rushing yards in 2018, nothing to ignore considering he was crucial in pulling the Browns into some semblance of a pro football team in 2018. Chubb had plenty of time to develop and become better. Signing Hunt seems like a slap in the face to Chubb, especially if he doesn’t get time on the field next season.
As confusing as choosing Hunt over Chubb is, that is not what matters for Hunt nor the Browns at the moment. What matter is that Hunt’s history of violence is controversy the Browns should not have gotten tangled up in. The Chiefs released him because he lied when asked about the video. Although he’s made a recent statement saying he wants to earn back trust, it will be difficult if not impossible to earn trust from a good portion of the fanbase.
Browns GM John Dorsey also released a statement regarding Hunt, which said they don’t condone his actions but believe he deserves a second chance. If the Browns truly didn’t condone his actions, they wouldn’t have signed him. Hunt deserves to not play, and even if he did, it shouldn’t be for the Browns who have a strong enough running back already.
The Browns have just dug themselves in a hole they spent all of 2018 trying to claw out of. They went from the worst team in the NFL to a young team with potential to go far in the coming years. By signing Hunt, they may do well, but they just burnt any good karma they had from last season. No matter how good Hunt is, the Browns will always be weighed down by his controversies for as long as he plays for them.
Jack Gleckler is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think? Tell Jack by tweeting him at @thejackgleckler.
