The Chiefs sent Kareem Hunt packing.
Kansas City announced Friday it had released the star running back hours after a video that showed him pushing and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel was published by TMZ.com.
Hunt was also placed on the commissioner’s exempt list by the NFL, meaning he cannot practice, play or attend games while the league continues to investigate.
“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,” the league said in a statement.
The Chiefs, in a statement, acknowledged they were made aware of an incident involving Hunt, which occurred in February, but he lied to them during their talks with him.
“At that time, the National Football League and law enforcement initiated investigations into the issue,” the statement read. “As part of our internal discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video released today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”
Kansas City (9-2), one of the Super Bowl favorites from the AFC, will have to try to get there without one of its most productive players. Hunt, who led the league in rushing last season, had run for 824 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games this season. He also had seven receiving scores.
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.