Clark Hunt on why Chiefs ‘felt comfortable’ reuniting with player they once released
Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt was the organization’s voice when the team released Kareem Hunt in 2018 after a video surfaced of him pushing and kicking a woman during an altercation.
In his first comments since Kareem Hunt rejoined the team last month, Clark Hunt said enough time had passed and remorse was displayed for the Chiefs to welcome back their former standout running back.
“Six years ago we were obviously very disappointed by the actions we saw in the video and how he handled it afterwards,” Clark Hunt said. “As we talked about it as an organization a few weeks ago, both Brett (Veach) and Andy (Reid) said they felt confident that he had matured from that, learned from his mistake, gotten the help he needed. As a result, we felt comfortable bringing him back.”
Kareem Hunt has played in the previous two games for the Chiefs and is coming off a 102-yard rushing performance in a victory over the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs play at the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The Chiefs were in the market for a running back after starter Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in a Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hunt had played the previous five seasons with the Cleveland Browns but didn’t reach the level of success he enjoyed in his 27 games (all starts) with the Chiefs in 2017 and 2018. He led the NFL in rushing as a rookie and was on his way to another big year when he was released after playing 11 games.
Only a few weeks after his release, Hunt said he took full responsibility for the incident and that the team was right to cut him.
Kareem Hunt and Clark Hunt met after the signing.
“He expressed to me his gratitude for being back here,” Clark Hunt said. “He said it was a really good fit for him from a career standpoint and that he left here under some difficult circumstances. He was very glad to be back.”