In a candid discussion, Patrick Mahomes addressed the Kansas City Chiefs' decision to bring back running back Kareem Hunt, who faced significant backlash after a 2018 incident involving assault. The Chiefs signed Hunt in September 2024 following an injury to Isiah Pacheco.
This move comes nearly six years after the franchise released Hunt when a video surfaced showing him assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel. Despite the gravity of the situation, no legal actions were taken against him.
"What he did was wrong, but I know in his heart he isn’t a bad person," Mahomes stated during the second episode of The Kingdom, which aired on August 14. "It’s about how you can become better and learn from mistakes. He wasn’t going to let that one bad decision define who he is."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who played a pivotal role in Hunt's return, shared his perspective on the matter. "He learned a lesson," Reid remarked. "Too many people don’t get a second chance and then they go back and start doing bad things. They don’t even have an opportunity to be successful."
Reid further elaborated, "He did wrong. He knew he did wrong. You can’t do that. Somebody’s gotta teach you that you can’t do that. He paid for that. We probably all run into roadblocks somewhere. Some more drastic than others. He had to start over and do it the right way."
After his release from the Chiefs, Hunt spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, making his debut in Week 10 of the 2019 season after serving an eight-game suspension related to the incident.
"When you get a second chance, you just want to make the most of the opportunity," Hunt reflected on The Kingdom. "Because I never thought I’d be back in Kansas City."
Looking back on the hotel incident, Hunt expressed regret: "I was so upset about the whole situation. I wish I could go back in time and handle it a lot differently." He admitted feeling "afraid of how everybody looked at me" after the video was released, stating he "didn’t even leave the house" for some time.
"You can’t erase history," Hunt acknowledged. "When it’s all said and done, it’s done. You can’t go back in time."
Hunt made his 2024 debut with the Chiefs on September 29 against the Los Angeles Chargers and continued as a regular player throughout the season, including participating in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In March, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Chiefs worth up to $2.5 million.
The first two episodes of The Kingdom premiered on August 14, with subsequent episodes scheduled for release on August 19 and August 20.
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