The new Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt is an immensely, talented top 10 running back in the NFL. In his short two year career, he has produced 2,984 yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns. Hunt is a powerful back who can catch as well. So, what’s not to love?

There are so many issues with the Browns signing Hunt right now. It makes them as well as the NFL look bad and hypocritical. Right now, Hunt is on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, meaning he is unable to play or attend Browns games until he is cleared. He is also being investigated and will likely be suspended for the first 4 games of the 2019 season. Also, the Browns do not need Hunt and the baggage that will follow him throughout this season. The $1M deal shows that nobody else was ready for Hunt. Literally last year the Browns drafted Nick Chubb, a running back from Georgia, with the 35th pick. He was a stud, and Duke Johnson was the speedy 3rd down back that every team seems to want. Hunt is better right now, but wouldn’t it make more sense to not surround your team with drama and controversy after they were a kicker away from making the playoffs last year?

By now, everybody knows what Hunt did. When the video of him kicking and assaulting the woman first released, sources around the NFL said they thought he would never get another chance to play pro football. Ray Rice was 27 years old when he was suspended for just 2 games after he brutally assaulted his then-fiancee in an elevator. This was 6 years ago now, and the corruptness of Roger Goodell hasn’t changed much. If a player like Tom Brady was suspended for 4 games for “possibly knowing about a deflated football” but Ray Rice was initially suspended for 2 games for beating his fiancee in an elevator. Doesn’t that truly show how little the NFL cares about domestic violence? If they wanted it to stop and no longer be associated with the NFL, shouldn’t the punishment be more severe than smoking pot? Goodell tried to make up for it when Ezekiel Elliot was accused of domestic violence by his girlfriend. Even though he was not criminally charged, and there was absolutely no proof that anything that Elliot’s ex said was true, Goodell suspended him for 6 games in 2017. It was an ugly back and forth affair between someone who was innocent and a man who was trying to hold on to what little dignity he had left. Kareem Hunt needs to be suspended for the first 6-8 games, because unlike Elliot, Hunt is guilty. However, don’t be surprised if Goodell somehow messes this up and hurts the league’s credibility again.

Why is Colin Kaepernick not in the NFL? It’s certainly not because he has less talent than guys like Mark Sanchez or Blaine Gabbert, but rather that the Commissioner and all 32 NFL owners think it would be a bad look for the league. Would it be a bad look? Would it be worse than having players like Kareem Hunt in the league? Is kneeling during the Anthem worse than beating women?

The reason the Browns are doing this because of GM John Dorsey. Dorsey was formerly the GM of Kansas City, and he’s also the man who drafted Kareem Hunt in 2017. He also drafted Tyreek Hill in 2016, a star player with some bad history. He is a good drafter, as he found Hill in the 5th round (he fell down draft boards due to his domestic violence charges) and he found Kareem Hunt in the 3rd round. He was already in Cleveland by the time the Hunt situation began, so who knows if someone like Dorsey would have even released him in the first place. Kansas City didn’t receive as much credit as they should’ve for releasing Hunt because while it seems like an obvious choice to some, the team is trying to win. The Chiefs ended up as winners in the situation for the short term, as the signed Damien Williams and he scored 3 touchdowns in the AFC Championship. Now for John Dorsey, clearly it’s all about building the most talented roster and getting the players that give your team the best chance to win. Arguably that’s what it should be about because the NFL is a business and what matters is views, ratings, and championships.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy, pick up your Couch Report Merch from the shop!