After watching the Kareem Hunt video, it’s hard not to think back to the controversy surrounding Ray Rice and the Ravens following that infamous elevator incident in Atlantic City.
I remember how apologetic and devastated Ray seemed, but as a fan and someone who met Ray several times, I tempered my willingness to forgive until his family accepted his sincerity. That happened. Ray Rice could not possibly be more remorseful. He could not have owned his mistakes any more completely.
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And despite all that he’s done, all the work that he’s put in to stay in shape, the NFL would not accept Ray Rice back. Most believe that if Ray didn’t have such a poor 2013 season, someone would have given him another shot. After all, Adrian Peterson got a second chance after it came out that he disciplined his son by whacking him with a stick. The Cardinals, and now the Redskins, believed that Peterson could still play. Therein lies one big difference between him and Ray.
The other difference is that Ray Rice was caught on tape. The video doesn’t lie. Accusations can be skewed. The visual evidence is obviously more compelling, more persuasive. But will visual evidence be compelling enough for the other 31 NFL teams? Will they avoid the temptation of Kareem Hunt?
Props to the Chiefs for their high moral standards – cutting a premier player in his prime during an epic season because doing the right thing trumps winning at all costs.
Giving up on a player who has over 3,000 yards from scrimmage and 25 TD’s in 27 career games isn’t easy. It also won’t be easy for the morally challenged franchises across the NFL to avoid the temptation of Kareem Hunt. Thankfully two such franchises, the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals already have top-notch tailbacks.
I’m guessing that the Redskins, Patriots and Seahawks are licking their chops.
