Looks like some in the Detroit Media want K. Hunt

[chop]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/n...ty/2780147002/

Jamie Samuelsen, co-host of the "Jamie and Stoney" show at 6 a.m. weekdays on WXYT-FM (97.1), blogs for freep.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. You can reach him at jamsam22@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @jamiesamuelsen.

The Detroit Lions seemingly have a need for a second running back to pair with Kerryon Johnson. How should they go about the Kareem Hunt situation?

We all think that we can be a general manager or a head coach or an offensive coordinator. It’s easy to sit on our couches and wonder why Michigan isn’t more aggressive on offense or why MSU doesn’t hire a new play caller or why the Lions drafted that guy when they could have drafted that other guy.

It’s the issues of up or down, yes or no, in or out that are easy to judge from afar. But when the issues get a but more gray, it’s a lot harder to know what to do.

It’s easy to stay on the moral high ground when you’re watching from the side. It’s decidedly harder when you’re competing against 31 other teams that might be more willing to swim in the deeper end of the pool. Nobody condones Kareem Hunt's physical assault against a woman in the video that surfaced in December. The images were so raw that the Chiefs terminated his contract within hours of the video’s release.

If Hunt were five years older and his effectiveness was dwindling, he’d be out of the league for good. But Hunt, 23, was just finishing his second season, so a future clearly remains in the NFL.

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Dec 31, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (27) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports (Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

Bears head coach Matt Nagy pushed this agenda forward last month when he said that he believed in second chances and wouldn’t rule out the Bears pursuing Hunt in the off-season. Nagy was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City prior to getting the Bears head coaching job, so this news isn’t shocking. But Nagy just finished his first year, so it’s a pretty bold stroke to put that out there, unless of course he has the blessing of management or ownership.

Nagy is 100 percent right about one thing: Nothing should be ruled out. This holds true for the Bears, the Lions and any other team in the NFL. If you start making determinations about players before you even investigate their cases further, you’re shortchanging yourself.

It’s like major college recruiting. If Princeton is going up against Alabama for a 5-star player, Alabama has the edge in every way. Not only are they a better program, but they also have lower standards for admission and they can offer full athletic scholarships. Princeton isn’t on equal footing with Alabama therefore will never compete with them.


The Lions are on equal footing with the Patriots, the Rams, the Bears and every other team in the NFL, even if their history doesn’t show it. They abide by the same rules, the same salary cap and the same standards. If the Lions choose to sign only a certain type of player and steer clear of any possible character issues, they won’t stand a chance to move into the upper echelon of the league.

I have no idea what Bob Quinn thinks of Kareem Hunt. I do know that Quinn said the day he was hired in 2016 that he’d have a zero-tolerance policy against players involved in domestic violence cases or a dangerous weapons offense. Later that summer, he signed tight end Andrew Quarless, who was arrested in 2015 after he reportedly fired a gun into the air outside a nightclub after an altercation with a woman. Quinn later admitted that he never should have used the term “zero-tolerance,” and I respect him for his retraction. This is the NFL, not Harvard Law School. You are looking for the best players, not the best of the best. And yes, there is a difference.

I’d have a hard time with the Lions making a move for Hunt for all the obvious moral. But I also know that when you’re filling a 53-man roster with professional football players, you’re not going to do so entirely with choir boys. There will be some bad seeds. Some of their warts will be public. Some will be hidden. Some might become public at an inopportune time for the team.

Some of you will dismiss this as a clear double standard. You wouldn’t allow Hunt to date your daughter, so why would you want him on your football team? If that’s your take, I can’t say that you’re wrong. But I’d also say good luck totally embracing the NFL because you’re going to be rooting for a lot of different players that you might not want dating your daughters.

Quinn gets paid a lot of money for his job and feels a lot of pressure to get things done, especially coming off of two seasons that ended without a playoff berth. I don’t feel sorry for him because he knew what this job was all about when he took it. Just understand that as he looks to push this team up, he may have to take some chances that don’t make him or you very comfortable. That’s the price of doing business in the NFL these days.

If you don’t like it, you need to find another sport. Because it’s not changing.

[Dunerdr]

if he had to go anywhere id prefer him be a lion. out of the afc, the lions havent been shit ever, he will be good enough to have a career, another bellicheck cast off will keep him from contending with us in a superbowl.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

if he had to go anywhere id prefer him be a lion. out of the afc, the lions havent been shit ever, he will be good enough to have a career, another bellicheck cast off will keep him from contending with us in a superbowl.

Better for everyone involved if he signs with the Lions than with the Raiders or Patriots.

[baitism]

Cutting him was stupid. We could have suspended him for the rest of the year and no one would have gave a shit other than SJW's next season.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Redbled

Keeping him and suspending him indefinitely or waiting till the league does then trading him would have been a better move I think. Getting nothing stinks.

I think his was the weakest and least severe of any assault case the NFL has had to deal with. This is the kind of thing the person seeks and maintains treatment for and moves on.

He was cut because he lied to the Coach, GM, owner, and entire organization. He ruined the trust there and made it impossible to know if his other two assault accusations were true or not.

How you handle a thing like this says a lot about you. You can admit you did wrong, apologize, and try to make up for it. You can also lie, attempt to cover it up, and continue to repeat the same bad behavior.

This is not an isolated event - Hunt has a history of this type of behavior. Whomever signs him will have to be willing to weigh the risk/reward of his history of bad decision making...

[TLO]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Better for everyone involved if he signs with the Lions than with the Raiders or Patriots.

If he signed with the Patriots....

[bowener]

He should go play for the new football league and wreck shit. He needs to sober his ass up, keep his head down, stop being a child, and show he can play football like a professional.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by baitism

Cutting him was stupid. We could have suspended him for the rest of the year and no one would have gave a shit other than SJW's next season.

Yep knee jerk reactions by the Clark’s. Cutting him lacked any sort of backbone or balls.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Yep knee jerk reactions by the Clark’s. Cutting him lacked any sort of backbone or balls.

I'd argue it was quite the opposite.

[baitism]

Originally Posted by Rausch

I'd argue it was quite the opposite.

Cutting him was the easy way out. It appeased the media and the SJW hivemind. It was not what was best for the team.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by baitism

Cutting him was the easy way out. It appeased the media and the SJW hivemind. It was not what was best for the team.

It absolutely was the best for the team. He's a head case and a liar. You don't want that anywhere near Mahomes.

[TEX]

As more of these stories surface, it will be easier for a team to sign him because it gets the public used to the idea. I still wish the Chiefs would sign him and give him another chance. However, I can certainly understand why they wouldn't.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

It absolutely was the best for the team. He's a head case and a liar. You don't want that anywhere near Mahomes.

I get your point, but Mahomes is a big boy. He knows how to handle himself.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by TEX

I get your point, but Mahomes is a big boy. He knows how to handle himself.

And when Hunt does something like this with Mahomes in his company? Somebody could have gotten hurt, even Hunt. You don't want Mahomes around anybody that resorts to physical violence every time things go bad. Hunt allegedly assaulted not one, not two, but THREE different people, in one offseason.

[T-post Tom]

Originally Posted by TEX

As more of these stories surface, it will be easier for a team to sign him because it gets the public used to the idea. I still wish the Chiefs would sign him and give him another chance. However, I can certainly understand why they wouldn't.

Chiefs will draft his ultimate replacement in 3rd or 4th round. Nothing against Williams or current RBs.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

Chiefs will draft his ultimate replacement in 3rd or 4th round. Nothing against Williams or current RBs.

I think you're right.