Kareem Hunt begged Kansas City Chiefs not to cut him

People try to make the situation with Kareem Hunt out to be an issue of black and white. In reality, it’s nothing but lots and lots of gray.

There’s no question he made a grievous mistake with the incident that happened in the Cleveland hotel. One where he was seen on camera shoving and then kicking a woman during a heated confrontation. Details of what exactly happened remain elusive but either way it was not a good look for the 23-year old running back. Especially in the current climate of domestic violence scandals.

Even so, he’s still a human being. He has emotions. That much was evident according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Based on accounts from inside the Chiefs organization, once Hunt realized how bad the situation was after TMZ released the video, he broke down. He’d told Kansas City a different account than what was eventually revealed. This breach of trust drove the organization to make the decision to release him.

Something he begged them to reconsider while in tears.

"Hunt cried in front of his coaches and members of the front office, according to multiple league sources with knowledge of the situation. With trembling emotion in his voice, Hunt apologized for his mistake and pleaded to the Chiefs to reconsider their decision.“It really felt like a funeral,” one source told The Athletic on Saturday as the Chiefs prepared to play the AFC West rival Raiders without the star running back."

Kareem Hunt football career is in limbo for the moment

The fact of the matter is not every organization will be standing on the moral high ground with this. Hunt is simply far too talented of a player to let linger on the open market forever. People were reminded of that when the Washington Redskins claimed Reuben Foster, another talented but troubled player off waivers after San Francisco released him following another domestic violence incident.

If he could end up on another team, there’s no reason to think Hunt won’t. He’s young and a former All-Pro. Buzz has already started with a number of teams having interest depending on how the situation shakes out. Given the fact that no criminal charges were filed, the worst that will likely happen is Hunt receives a six-game suspension for the incident once the NFL has concluded their own investigation.

After that, he’ll be in the clear. Some team is bound to come calling at that point, their desire to win far too strong to be overridden by protests of morality. That is the state of things in professional sports. Some will think he should be banned. Others believe he deserves a second chance provided he seeks the required help.