Kareem Hunt Shifts Super Bowl Focus To The Cleveland Browns

It’s been nearly five months since Browns running back Kareem Hunt should’ve been playing for a Super Bowl. 

That’s what dash cam video caught Hunt telling a Rocky River Patrolman Mike Asbury during a traffic stop in January. Hunt joined the Browns last offseason after being cut by the Chiefs, who won Super Bowl LIV . That same video captured Hunt confessing that he would fail a drug test after Asbury found a small amount of marijuana in Hunt’s car.

Hunt called that incident “out of character” during a Monday Zoom conference with reporters. And since that moment, Hunt said he’s recommitted himself to football and the Browns. 

“I learned from it,” Hunt said of the traffic stop. “I have been working to become a better person each and every day. Now, I am focused on football, working out and getting ready for the season.”

That preparation has included attending wide receiver meetings, a function of Hunt occupying the same position as Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb. Hunt is himself a former Pro-Bowler in a contract year, and a big statistical season could help him secure a long-term contract after signing a one-year tender with the Browns this year. 

But Hunt didn’t seem concerned with his numbers on Monday. The Cleveland native is more concerned about turning his hometown Browns into winners.

“We have to know there is only one football,” Hunt said, “As long as we win, that is the only thing that matters and that is the biggest thing. If we are winning, I am not mad. Whatever they ask me to do, I am willing to go out there and make something happen.”

Hunt said he and Chubb talk “a lot,” and believe they both can succeed in coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense. Hunt has also talked with Stefanski and Browns General Manager Andrew Berry about the traffic stop video. Hunt called it a “good talk” and said Stefanski and Berry see him as a player who can help the Browns win. 

Hunt sees himself the same way, and he hopes it’ll stay that way long term. He said Monday that there was “no question” he’d like to be in Cleveland long-term. 

“I would definitely like to be a part of something like this,” Hunt said. “Everybody I care about is here. I know everybody in the whole town. I would not mind playing for the Browns for a long time.”

Hunt’s performance this season – both on and off the field – will have a significant impact on whether that happens. So while he prepares for this season, he’s maintaining a small circle. He’s hanging out with his family, talking to his “close people,” and working out with Matt Luck, his high school track coach. 

The January incident is behind him now. He’s moved on from the disappointment that accompanied watching his former team win the Super Bowl. 

His new focus is to win one for the home team. 

“I think we can do something special here,” Hunt said. “I want to get that Super Bowl feeling, and I believe we can do it here in my hometown. That would be bigger than anything, for me. That would bring a championship to Cleveland. I have been with Cleveland my whole life.”