Kareem Hunt, former football running back, was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs after a surveillance video emerged showing Hunt assaulting a young woman in an elevator.

The attack happened all the way back in February. It occurred in the Metropolitan at the 9 Hotel in Cleveland two days after Hunt had moved into a luxury apartment there.

Hunt finally interviewed over the matter several days after he was cut. He has reportedly said he was “ashamed” of the incident, but that he “deserves forgiveness” and should be given a second chance in the National Football League.

“I’m asking for forgiveness and I definitely believe I deserve forgiveness,” Hunt said. “Everything is really happening fast right now and I just want everybody to forgive me. I know it’s going to be hard. I made a bad choice and I’m not going to let this bring me down.” 

Hunt has stated that he is willing to attend anger management and counseling if that is what is necessary and plans to return to the NFL after regaining his name.

The victim, Abigail Ottinger was a 19 year old student at Kent State University at the time of the assault. She reportedly told Cleveland police on February 10, according to police records, about the incident. She told them she was “assaulted by a player and the man working at the desk refused to let her call the police and called her a slut.”

The video was posted by TMZ recently, which allowed the public to view exactly what happened. The video features Hunt shoving Ottinger as a man attempts to get between them. After getting pushed, Ottinger punches Hunt in the face. Several men pull Hunt out of view of the camera and into the hallway. Ottinger follows, says something to Hunt, then Hunt pushes one of the men into Ottinger. The shove sends both of them to the ground and Ottinger hits her face on the wall. Hunt proceeds to kick Ottinger several times while she is on the ground while many women attempt to pull him away from her.

Sophia Frick, a freshman, is in shock after watching the video. She says, “that is so violent. I cannot believe he would do something like that. No one deserves to be treated like that. No one. It makes me sick to see this happen to someone who is our age.”

Ottinger was reportedly a “plus one” at a party that Hunt had invited several people to. Hunt has said that he did not know Ottinger prior to the incident. Hunt said that the occurrence started off as a disagreement that escalated into an argument and resulting in physical aggression.

Ottinger immediately filed a complaint against Hunt which were immediately met with complaints filed by Hunt against Ottinger. No charges have been filed and Hunt was never arrested.

Hunt has been placed on a list, known as the League Commissioner Roger Goodell’s exempt list, which means Hunt is no longer allowed to play nor attend and National Football League games. According to the NFL webpage, the exempt list is defined as, “The Exempt List is a special player status available to clubs only in unusual circumstances.The List includes those players who have been declared by the Commissioner to be temporarily exempt from counting within the Active List limit.”

According to Jon Shuppe, reporter on the NFL, there have been 87 arrests in the NFL over the course of the last 14 years in regards to domestic abuse. Avid Chief’s fan, Teal Tobin who is a freshman at Washburn, is proud that the team took the necessary measures to remove a violent individual from the NFL. “He deserved to not be allowed on the team. I am proud of the Chiefs.”

Domestic Violence hotline: 888-822-2983

YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment in Topeka, Kansas: 785-354-7927

225 SW 12th St, Topeka, KS 66612