Odds Say Kareem Hunt Won’t Play in NFL in 2019
- The Kansas City Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt on Friday after footage of him assaulting a woman was made public
- Hunt led NFL in rushing yardage in 2017
- One sportsbook is offering odds that Hunt won’t play in the NFL in 2019
Oddly enough, the tagline on Kareem Hunt’s Twitter account, @Kareemhunt7, features the words Live like there’s no tomorrow.
Today, there may not be a tomorrow for Hunt’s NFL career after video emerged which apparently shows the running back who led the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards last season shoving, hitting, and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway.
KC Chiefs Running Back Kareem Hunt Brutalizes and Kicks Woman in Hotel Video https://t.co/o3UZsnKM02
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) November 30, 2018
In fact, odds are that Hunt’s immediate NFL days are done like dinner.
The online sports betting site has posted a prop wager in which the line is skewed toward Hunt not being on an NFL team for Game 1 of the 2019 season.
Odds Kareem Hunt Is A Member of An NFL Team for Week 1 of 2019 Season
| Will Kareem Hunt Be A Member of an Team for Game 1 of 2019 season? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | +100 |
| No | -140 |
The Kansas City Chiefs, AFC favorites to reach Super Bowl 53, released Hunt on Friday when the video was made public.
Statement from the Kansas City Chiefs on Kareem Hunt
➡️ https://t.co/MrjIX1Y7Ke pic.twitter.com/efSMqUDio1
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 1, 2018
The Chiefs indicated that they opted to part ways with Hunt because he was not truthful with them about what happened during the altercation last February in a Cleveland hotel.
The TMZ Treatment
The similarities between this incident and the 2014 one involving Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice are numerous.
Like Rice, Hunt downplayed what actually happened. In both cases, it was the TV show TMZ which made both videos public.
The @Chiefs have released Kareem Hunt. With him on the Exempt List it is hard to fathom a scenario where he plays anywhere this season. If ever again. Ray Rice never got another workout, much less an offer
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 1, 2018
Rice, who’d already been suspended two games by the NFL, was handed an indefinite suspension once the video was revealed and his contract was terminated by the Ravens.
Kareem Hunt pic.twitter.com/gSmG0ARdnx
— Tom Brady's Ego (@TomBradysEgo) December 1, 2018
Rice never played in the NFL again.
Could Hunt Land Elsewhere?
Already there’s speculation on whether there’s a team out there willing to give Hunt a second chance.
The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are being mentioned prominently, though head coach Doug Pederson was quick to throw cold water on that notion.
Doug Pederson comments on Kareem Hunt, Reuben Foster situations | ‘There’s not a place for this kind of behavior’ #Eagles https://t.co/HHkFZ2aYA3
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) December 1, 2018
Considering the NFL’s track record with violence against women, can it be ruled out?
Just last week linebacker Reuben Foster was claimed on waivers by Washington, three days after San Francisco cut him when he was arrested on domestic violence charges.
The difference is there’s a video of what Hunt did, removing any chance of plausible deniability. It was toxic to Rice’s career. It’s doubtful that Hunt can overcome it.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
