The Kansas City Chiefs' decision to bring back Kareem Hunt was not taken lightly.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt broke his silence on the situation. It all began when the team's owner praised the coaches and players for stepping up following injuries to WR Hollywood Brown, WR Rashee Rice, and RB Isiah Pacheco .
"It has been a great start to the season," Hunt said. "Obviously, we're excited to be coming out of the bye week at 5-0. We've certainly experienced some adversity with the injuries that we've had, and want to compliment the guys who've come in and stepped up in those positions. Think it's a real credit to both Andy Reid and Brett Veach with the job that they've done of taking the next man up and putting him in a position to succeed."
While not directed at any individual players, that praise certainly included Kareem and his ability to be the next man up at the running back position. With Pacheco's injury and the relative inexperience in the team's depth behind him, Kareem stabilized the position group. Yet, it's hard not to recall Clark's stance on Kareem when he was first released from the organization.
In December 2018, after the team had decided to part ways with the former third-round draft pick, Clark Hunt addressed the situation . He told reporters the team was shocked by Kareem Hunt's actions, which were captured on video. He said the organization was aware of other incidents, had issues with Kareem not being truthful about what happened on the video, and that it was in the team's best interest to move on at the time.
As years passed with Kareem playing in Cleveland, it felt that he would never get a shot to play in Kansas City again. Clark Hunt's stance on Kareem's truthfulness seemed like a major obstacle. So what exactly changed behind closed doors?
"Yeah, well, you know, going back six years ago, we were obviously very disappointed by the actions that we saw in that video and how he handled it afterward," Clark told reporters on Wednesday. "As we talked about it, as an organization here a few weeks ago, both Brett (Veach) and Andy (Reid) expressed to me that they felt confident that he had matured from that, that he'd learned from the mistake, gotten the help that he had needed, and as a result, we felt comfortable in bringing him back."
Veach and Reid have a reputation for giving players second chances, so it's no surprise to hear that they advocated for Kareem's return. One aspect that remained a mystery was whether Clark and Kareem had buried the hatchet yet. Kareem said shortly after his arrival to Kansas City that they hadn't yet spoken. Clark Hunt confirmed on Wednesday that the two have since had an opportunity to speak, with Kareem expressing how grateful he is to play for this team once more.
"I have," Clark said. "He expressed to me his gratitude for being back here. He knows it's a really good fit for him from a career standpoint. Knows that he left here under some difficult circumstances, and is very glad to be back and getting to play for our great fans."
The motivation behind Kareem's play is showing out on the field. He has already shown his love to Chiefs Kingdom at Arrowhead Stadium and it's becoming increasingly apparent that he's not keen on fumbling this golden opportunity .
Related: Chiefs HC Andy Reid's comments on Xavier Worthy's trajectory should get fans excited for the near future
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