Kareem Hunt backlash won't change the NFL reality

Kareem Hunt has a lot of work to do before he can get back to his job as an NFL running back. Don’t be surprised by that either. It’s a simple truth.

Hunt is a 23-year old Pro Bowler. Even if the league suspends him for the entirety of the 2019 season, he’ll be 25 by the start of 2020 with plenty of gas in his tank. Presuming he stays out of trouble and does all the necessary off-the-field work to show he’s trying to change himself for the better, it’s almost inevitable that he’s going to find work for somebody. It’s just a matter of who and when.

This may not sit well with a lot of people. Hunt committed an egregious crime. There’s no debating that. Still, the NFL hasn’t lived up to its supposed stance as a league based on high morals. They might try to sell it that way, but the actions of their teams over the years say otherwise. When it comes to winning football games, morality is secondary sometimes.

The worst part is there is plenty of evidence to support that claim.

Kareem Hunt knows the moral high ground hasn’t done much for NFL teams

Everybody would love for the NFL to be made up of nothing but talented choir boys. The problem is that’s not reality. Every business in the world is going to employ certain people with questionable backgrounds for the simple fact that there aren’t a lot of people who can do the needed job well. This league is no different.

There is a long history of teams prospering by choosing to set those pesky morals aside to employ a talented player. Here are a few examples.

Jamal Lewis (Baltimore Ravens)

His rookie year he helped the Ravens win their first Super Bowl. In 2003 he ran for over 2,000 yards. Then in 2004 he was arrested and sentenced to federal prison for intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine. He served four months. Did Baltimore cut him? Nope. He played 12 games that season and two more after it. His final year they went 13-3 and made the playoffs.

Leonard Little (St. Louis Rams)

The former defensive end had 87 sacks in his NFL career and helped the Rams to make the Super Bowl in 2001. This despite the fact he’d been convicted of manslaughter before even getting to the pros. Then in 2004, a year after he made All-Pro, he was arrested for DUI. The same crime that originally led to the manslaughter incident.

Corey Dillon (New England Patriots)

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The former Bengals running back was accused of striking his wife in 2000. He avoided jail times and got off with a diversion program and treatment. He continued to play in Cincinnati for four more seasons, going to two Pro Bowls. Then in 2004 he was signed by the New England Patriots, ran for over 1,600 yards and helped them win their third Super Bowl. Four years after he retired, he was arrested for a second time, again for assaulting his wife.

Dominic Rhodes (Indianapolis Colts)

This man was accused of both hitting and shoving his girlfriend in 2002. Something which he paid for with counseling and treatment. The Colts kept him around and in 2006 he was one of the primary driving forces of their running game and a huge part of their Super Bowl victory over Chicago. The next year he was arrested for drunk driving.

Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs)

The former running back has been arrested six different times for violence in some fashion against women. It began back in 2003 when he was a backup for the Chiefs. He was arrested and convicted of felony assault and misdemeanor battery for waving a gun in his girlfriend’s face. Two years later he was accused of shoving her down. Did Kansas City release him? Nope. That same year, he became the starter and would make the first of two Pro Bowl appearances.

The list goes on. Like it or not, teams have repeatedly taken risks on players with highly questionable backgrounds and are benefitting from it more often than people would care to admit. That is the reality of existence. One does not have to be a boy scout to have success in any profession. Football is no different.

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Kareem Hunt backlash won’t change the NFL reality

By Erik Lambert | Dec 5, 2018