Kareem Hunt won't be charged with marijuana possession from January traffic stop
Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt will not be charged with possession of marijuana following a traffic stop in the suburbs last month, police told the Cleveland Beacon Journal.
Hunt not charged due to new protocols
Rocky River police Lt. George Lichman said in January charges were “unlikely” and confirmed this week there will be none.
“We will not be pursuing charges of marijuana possession against Kareem Hunt,” he said, via the Beacon Journal.
Hunt, who is set to become a restricted free agent March 18, was cited for a traffic violation in Rocky River on Jan. 21. Officers said the also found a small amount of marijuana in a backpack in his vehicle.
He was not charged due to a new Ohio state law, but the less than a gram of marijuana was seized as evidence. From the Beacon Journal:
The Rocky River Police Department “as is consistent with many other Ohio police departments” has suspended citing people for possession of small amounts of marijuana since state law changed last summer to legalize industrial hemp, Lichman said.
While there is no legal charge, the league could pursue punishment under its personal conduct policy. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said after the traffic stop the league was aware and declined to comment on if there would be discipline.
Emotional Hunt cited only for speeding
A video released by TMZ shows an emotional Hunt speaking with the officer. Hunt tells him he’s “lost everything already” and the officer warns him about throwing away a second chance.
Hunt said at first the marijuana was not his, but his brother’s. He later said it was “not mine — like all mine,” per the Beacon Journal. There was also a “previously opened but sealed” bottle of vodka in the backseat. The officer, per the Beacon Journal, told him the bottle should have been transported in the trunk but did not breathalyze him.
Hunt was cited for driving 77 mph in a 60 mph zone on the interstate. He paid the $211.12 ticket and fines, per the Beacon Journal.
Browns plan to tender Hunt
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said last month they had spoken with Hunt and “communicated our expectations for him moving forward.”
At the NFL combine he told reporters he planed to tender the running back. Both owner Jimmy Haslam and coach Kevin Stefanski have said they see a future for him in their franchise.
The Browns signed Hunt last offseason after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs following video of him shoving and kicking a woman in a hotel. He was suspended for eight games last season.
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