The NFL Never Talked to Kareem Hunt or His Victim

Source – In its investigation into the February assault that cost Kareem Hunt his job, the NFL did not interview the running back or the woman he shoved and kicked, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen.

The NFL never requested an interview with Hunt after the assault that occurred outside his Cleveland residence, sources said. The NFL did reach out to the woman and her friend on multiple occasions, but they did not respond, officials said.

The league said it spoke to as many witnesses who were there as possible and that they said Hunt was not involved, which the video that TMZ released Friday clearly contradicts. …

The league, however, did have the police report, and Hunt spoke to the Chiefs about the incident. Yet after the league reviewed the police report and spoke to the Chiefs following their discussions with Hunt, no action was taken, leading up to the video that was released Friday.

And so the NFL’s investigation of Hunt did not include any interviews with Hunt or the woman who was pushed, shoved and kicked.

I get that the NFL didn’t talk to the woman Kareem Hunt dropkicked. I have no reason to take them at their word because they’ve got a longer history of lying through their goddamned teeth than Congress does. But it’s entirely possible that they tried, she wanted to put the incident behind her, she never got back to them, so there was nothing the league could do. I mean, they have the power to ban Barstool from their Super Bowl events and to make their “broadcast partners” dance for them like trained bears, but as far as I know they still don’t have the power to compel testimony from private citizens. They own a day of the week, but they don’t own subpoena power. Yet.

But never in a billion, trillion years can they explain away not interviewing Kareem Hunt. Or make the excuse that they talked to the Chiefs who had talked to him, and that’s pretty much the same thing. Right. Because what vested interest would the Chiefs have in covering up the fact he decked a woman and booted her when she was on the floor? They wouldn’t lie to help their star running back. It would be wrong.

And the fact they pressured the Chiefs to not even try to find the video that TMZ had no problem digging up just proves they weren’t interested in anything but covering this up so as not to make the league look bad. But the story Roger Goodell’s Reich Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment expect us to swallow is that they did all they could to get to the bottom of this. Just not speak to Kareem Hunt. Like it’s somehow beyond their power to ask questions of a league employee.

I get that most of the country hates Patriots fans and can’t stand it when we bring up Deflategate. But that’s because they can’t defend it. They love to tell us not everything relates back to Deflategate but this is the perfect example of something that does. Because it proves that when Kommisar Goodell is onto something that’s going to make the league look good and him like a tough guy, he’ll leave no stone unturned. Investigators can take all the time they need, billable hours money is no object.

You want an example? This is from the memo Patriots attorney Daniel Goldberg sent to Wells and the league during the investigation:

The full-time equipment staffer and the Official’s Locker Room Attendant he interviewed four times each were John Jastremski and Jim McNally, aka Dorito Dink and The Deflator. The R2D2 and C3PO of this epic saga. And Wells demanded a fifth interview of each, which the team refused. That was determined by Goodell to be a lack of cooperation, which was the excuse he used to dock them two draft picks and fine them a million Kraftbucks.

But when questioning a league employee might uncover that he slammed a girl to the ground and kicked her? When the truth they might find will be a bad look for the NFL? Then no one has time to talk to the perp even once.

Come to think of it, I’m NOT going to believe they reached out to the victim. There’s only so many times the league can out and out lie and totally fake investigations before I never believe them again. And Kareem Huntgate just reached the limit.