As you might expect, the NFL didn’t request records of the Kareem Hunt incident until the video came out
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 1: Running back Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes in the open field against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of a game at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The NFL claims it sought public records of the Kareem Hunt incident back in February. The actual public records say otherwise.
Shocker! It’s a bad look for the league.
According to Steve Vockrodt in the Kansas City Star, the NFL didn’t formally request records of the Hunt incident until Nov. 30, the same day that video of it was published on TMZ. The video in question revealed Hunt assaulting a woman at a Cleveland hotel in February, a transgression that ultimately got him waived by the Chiefs and placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. It’s also not the only violent incident involving the now-free-agent running back to happen this year.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy pushed back at this report, insisting that the league asked for those records months ago.
“We had multiple verbal conversations with Cleveland police officers and requested surveillance video immediately upon learning of the incident in February,” said McCarthy in a statement. “In addition, NFL representatives also made requests for surveillance video to the hotel property. We also obtained and reviewed the material developed by the police, which included the written reports prepared by the officers who responded to the incident, and later the interviews that were recorded by body cams and the recordings of the 911 calls.”
Also complicating matters is that police didn’t immediately request video of the incident, because it was ultimately classified as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. But if the NFL communicated with authorities about obtaining records, there’s no documented request for it. And considering the league’s history of botching these kinds of investigations (that’s really the best way you could put it), this isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention.
It’s hard for the league to get people to believe that, for whatever reason, they’d try to obtain records and video of the Hunt incident without formally asking like everyone else. And why would they skip that step in February, but not skip it on the same day the video becomes public?
Not worth getting all pretzel-y trying to spin this into the league doing everything it can do. They wanted the incident to go away. They didn’t truly care about what happened until the video surfaced, if you even want to say they care now. Just another PR mess and horribly handled “investigation” for a league that’s been building quite a resume in that department in recent years.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
