Chiefs star Kareem Hunt pushes, kicks woman in brutal video
Chiefs star running back Kareem Hunt has been sidelined as a result of an incident that took place in Cleveland this past February.
Hunt, who grew up in a Cleveland suburb and played college ball at Toledo, can be seen pushing and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in a video published Friday by TMZ.com.
Hunt has been placed on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List by the NFL, which has opened an investigation into the video.
“The NFL has placed Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs on the Commissioner Exempt list, and as a result, he may not practice, play or attend games,” the NFL said in a statement. “The NFL’s investigation, which began immediately following the incident in February, will include a review of the new information that was made public today.”
In the video, Hunt pushes the 19-year-old woman, then gets restrained before she slaps at him, sending him into a rage. Hunt then turns around the corner and storms into a man who collides with the woman, sending both to the floor.
The woman, identified in February by Cleveland.com as Abigail Ottinger, of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, told police Hunt assaulted her at about 3:45 a.m. at Cleveland’s The Metropolitan at the 9 hotel. Another woman who was with Hunt’s friend said Ottinger had assaulted her, according to police reports obtained by Cleveland.com.
According to TMZ, law enforcement obtained the video from The Metropolitan and submitted it to prosecutors, who elected not to charge Hunt. One police report listed Hunt as a suspect, while another listed Ottinger as such. Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said the cross complaint indicated that each person claimed they were victimized in the incident.
Ottinger, a Kent State student, told cops in February the argument started when she refused to hook up with a member of Hunt’s entourage. One of Hunt’s friends told police they kicked Ottinger and her friend out of the room after learning that they were only 19 years old, but Ottinger said they were booted because she “didn’t want” one of the men in Hunt’s entourage.
Ottinger was further accused of calling Hunt and his friend racial slurs when she was told that she needed to leave. Ottinger and her female friend then waited in a hallway as they tried to get a ride back to Kent State. Hunt’s friend told police he gave the women $20 and that the NFL running back decided to go to bed, according to the police report.
Ottinger then stayed in the hallway for roughly 30 minutes as she continued yelling and pounding on the room door, her friend told police. Another woman in Hunt’s group, meanwhile, said she was struck in the face by Ottinger when she went into the hallway to tell the pair to leave, according to the police report.
Ottinger told Cleveland.com that “things got physical” at the hotel, but declined further comment, as did her friend, according to the website.
The NFL has yet to take any action against Hunt, who led the league in rushing last season, and it’s unclear if the league pursued the video the gossip site published. The Chiefs, who play at Oakland on Sunday, were originally unaware of the video, according to The Athletic.
The footage is eerily reminiscent of the shocking Ray Rice video from 2014, when the former Ravens running back was seen punching his then-fiancée in the face in an Atlantic City hotel elevator. The NFL initially suspended Rice for two games, but when the video surfaced — also on TMZ — and the outcry was deafening, the Ravens released him and Rice was suspended for the full season. He has not played in the NFL since.
Messages seeking comment from NFL and team officials were not immediately returned Friday.
