I was going to write about Bob Costas today, because I feel like the story of him being removed from NBC's Super Bowl broadcast last season has been drastically overlooked by the national sports world, but news broke a few hours ago that brought about reactions that I feel more strongly about, so I will have to save the Costas story for another time.
After video surfaced of Kareem Hunt abusing a woman, he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs last December. Today, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns. I was not surprised by him signing with another team at all, and I think any NFL fan with a sense of reality should not be surprised by it either. Hunt led the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie in 2017, and was seen as an intricate piece of the Chiefs offense going forward, prior to his release. With Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and a bunch of other weapons, it seemed like Kansas City could possibly have the best offense in the entire NFL. Even without Hunt, they still were a high-powered scoring machine this past season. With such a young group of star players, it seems like they will only get better too. However, just like Ray Rice, after video surfaced of Hunt's actions, it seemed like the Chiefs had no choice but to release him.
Now that the season has ended, it was only a matter of time before he was picked up, and today happened to be that day. Hunt is still on the commissioner's exempt list, and will face a suspension for at least part of the upcoming season, and maybe the entire season. Despite that, the Browns still signed Hunt.
John Dorsey, the former general manager of the Chiefs, and current general manager of the Browns, drafted Hunt prior to the 2017 season, and he said that his relationship with Hunt prior to his release by Kansas City played a role in Cleveland signing the running back. Dorsey claimed that he knew Hunt was a good person, and said that there will be strict guidelines that Hunt will have to follow in order to maintain his spot on the roster in Cleveland. All of that is probably true as well. Dorsey did personally know Hunt prior to his release, and I'm sure Hunt will have to abide by any guidelines that the Browns put in place. My problem is not with that. What I have felt strongly about though, is the immediate reaction to Hunt's signing by men inside and outside the Browns organization.
Everyone I have heard comment on this since the news broke has been a man, mainly because the talking heads on television in the football world are almost all men. They played the sport, the worked in the sport, and they are the ones who usually comment on the sport in the national media. It makes sense that they would be the ones to initially react to Hunt's signing, and I have heard them all say pretty much the exact same thing, and it all begins with a laughably dishonest qualifier.
Before listing all of the positive things Hunt can do for the Browns, they all start by making some type of comment on how domestic violence is a terrible thing, and that Hunt should be ashamed of his actions. Then, after that there is nothing but praise for Hunt and for the Browns. Just get the bogus, disingenuous claim out there, and everything is fine after that. Domestic violence is bad, Hunt is a bad guy, and now that that's out of the way, let's talk about how great of a running back he is. It is so transparent that I don't know if I should call it comical or pathetic.
Once Hunt serves his suspension, however long it may be, are any male Cleveland Browns fans going to care about that video if he runs for 1,000 yards and scores a bunch of touchdowns? Absolutely not. They are going to cheer as loud as they can for him and totally forget anything he ever did before he signed with their team. The Browns had a pretty nice season, at least by their standards, in 2018, and they have some young and talented players, especially on the offensive side of the football.
If Hunt teams up with Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry to form a fearsome trifecta of talent, the fans are not going to care one bit about what Hunt did. Sure, he will have to abide by strict guidelines or whatever the organization wants to call it, but if he doesn't hit any more women on camera, it won't matter.
And I am sorry to say it, but if the same thing happened with Saquon Barkley, I would probably do the exact same thing. Hunt did not face charges for what he did, and no arrests were made either, so in the eyes of the legal system, what he did was not worthy of any kind of punishment. However, we did see the video, and it speaks for itself. Yet, in the world of the NFL, not too many people care about it.
Winning supposedly cures most problems within locker rooms, and the same can be said for any problems fans might have with their teams or players on their teams. If Hunt plays well, the Browns and their fans (and by fans, I mean male fans) will say he served his suspension and was not charged by the legal system, so it will justify them falling in love with him. If he doesn't perform well, then they will say that the team never should have signed him in the first place, and he is a terrible person for what he did.
Like I said, I would probably react the same way if I found out that Saquon Barkley or Odell Beckham were in a situation identical to the one Hunt is in. I would vilify them for what they did, but if they served a suspension and came back scoring touchdowns, I wouldn't really care. Maybe every once in a while I would remember to throw a fraudulent apology out there for supporting the guy, but I wouldn't really mean it. If they didn't perform well, the story would be far different, and I would forever curse their character and ability.
I would like to hear from female Browns fans what they think of the team signing Hunt, or even just female football fans in general. Maybe they would have no problem with him being on the team, I can't say. One thing I can say with certainty though, is that any male fan who throws a quick condemnation of domestic violence in before going on a tribute to Hunt's talent is being totally hypocritical and phony.
Daily Giants Update: In another piece of breaking football news, Kyler Murray officially declared for the NFL Draft today. He is definitely talented, but I think his size is really not suited for a long term career as a quarterback. I am hoping he is not even available when the Giants pick sixth overall, as therefore they won't even have a chance to consider taking him.
Daily Rangers Update: Alexander Georgiev was absolutely brilliant last night as the Rangers beat a very good Toronto Maple Leafs team by a score of 4-1. I find the team very fun to watch, but with the trade deadline approaching, I am fearful some guys may be on the way out, as even if the Rangers do make the playoffs, they probably won't do much damage. Hopefully I am wrong, because the team is very likeable right now, despite not being a powerhouse.
Daily NBA Update: Teams in the Eastern Conference all seem to be trying to separate themselves from each other with the belief that they can reach the NBA Finals. Once they get there, I still do not see any possible way they can beat the Warriors, unless somehow the Warriors are knocked out by a team in the Western Conference. In a seven game series though, I just cannot see that happening, and despite all of the drama of the NBA season on and off the court, I really believe that the Warriors are still just better than everyone else.
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