Kareem Hunt’s interview shows he has long road back to NFL, but 'someone will take a shot on him'

Barring any more unforeseen incendiary revelations, Kareem Hunt will play again in the NFL.

I also believe that after the interview he did with ESPN on Sunday, it will be a long road back.

Hunt, who was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday after video surfaced of an altercation with a woman at a Cleveland hotel in February, finds himself in the NFL’s version of no-man’s land after making one bad decision after another.

The first poor choice was engaging with the woman at all, regardless of what was said or what led up to it. The second was lying to his employer afterward, which the Chiefs — who have to be sensitive about violence against women due to their recent history — said was a major factor in his release. The third is the incident that happened in June, when he allegedly punched a man in the face at an Ohio resort only months after he shoved and kicked a woman. That leads to further questions about Hunt’s ability to stay out of trouble.

And it would be easy to label his 15-minute ESPN interview with Lisa Salters on Sunday as his fourth bad decision.

Shortcomings of Hunt’s ESPN interview

The sitdown interview wasn’t a disaster, but certainly wasn’t a home run as Hunt said some of the right things, but not all. He left plenty of room for criticism and doubt with his answers.

For instance, when asked what he thought when he saw the video, the response he gave left him open to inquiries about how his description of himself ran counter to the alleged incident that happened at the waterpark in June, which the NFL is also investigating.

“That’s not me — I was raised better than that,” Hunt said of the hotel incident with the woman. “Like I said, I’m not the type of person that would ever even think about putting his hands on anyone. A woman, a girl, it doesn’t matter.”

And when asked if he received counseling since the incident with the woman, Hunt said he plans to set that up with his people, but hasn’t had any yet. That would have been an obvious, proactive move for Hunt to take after both episodes, one that would have made it easier to believe he was repentant for his actions before he met the repercussions.

And finally, it not only took him too long to apologize to the woman — he eventually did, but that should have been one of the first things he said — but when asked if he has an issue with anger management, Hunt seemed to stop short of accepting full responsibility he needed to completely move forward.

“Uh, it could be an issue — I feel like everybody gets a little angry sometimes,” Hunt said, before correcting himself in the moment. “I’m gonna get treatment on it. I’m gonna make sure nothing like this happens again.”

Will NFL team claim Hunt off waivers?

Even if he didn’t come off as completely understanding the depth of his issues, by and large Hunt said enough to get another chance from teams. Hunt expressed embarrassment by the incident, and he repeatedly asked for forgiveness, both for his actions on that night and for not being truthful with the Chiefs about what went down.

“You can’t really explain it — the video shows it, I was in the wrong,” Hunt said. “I’m not that type of person. I’m really disappointed and embarrassed for myself and my family, and I’m really taking action to learn from this and do everything possible to become a better man.”

Hunt will have plenty of time to do that. He is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list, which prevents him from practicing or playing as long as he’s on it. On Sunday, NFL Network reported that the Pro Bowler is likely facing a suspension of more than six games — one that could last deep into the 2019 season — for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy when the league finishes an investigation it promised to ramp back up.

Teams have until Monday afternoon to claim Hunt — in which they would also absorb the entirety of his cheap rookie contract, which runs through 2020 — but that seemed unlikely to one NFL personnel man.

“I don’t think he gets claimed,” one decision-maker told Yahoo Sports. “He will have to make major changes in his life to play again.”

Hunt’s path back to the league: counseling

Going through counseling and staying out of trouble will do more for Hunt’s ability to return to the NFL than anything he could have said on Sunday. Actions speak louder than words, and him getting help will be the only thing that gives NFL teams the plausible deniability they need to sign him down the road.

And trust, NFL teams will be looking to do that. As ridiculous as it is for any of this to matter now, the fact that he’s a premier back matters as it relates to his future. Add in the fact that Hunt won’t turn 24 until August —running backs don’t start losing juice until their late 20s — and some around the league expect Hunt to make a return, provided he doesn’t have more issues.

“I think he will play if he aggressively attacks his rehab and can prove he’s committed to change,” another decision-maker told Yahoo Sports. “He’s a young kid, with only one year of NFL player development training.”

“He clearly needs more help and guidance,” the executive added. “Programs are available to get him back on track.”

Remember, we saw another NFL team take a chance on a player with a history of allegations of violence against a woman just last week. Washington’s decision to claim Reuben Foster brought that organization a ton of heat, but the release of the Hunt video quickly took the spotlight off, which shows why some in Washington’s front office felt comfortable rolling the dice on a 24-year-old physical freak with All-Pro ability, PR hit be damned.

The belief here remains that the Chiefs didn’t have that luxury once the video surfaced of what Hunt did, even though there were a healthy portion of Chiefs fans who rushed to Hunt’s defense and are angry about his release. In the end, it isn’t much different from the Redskins fans who defended their team for claiming Foster last week. That willingness to forgive also explains why Hunt will likely have an NFL future.

Hunt can make a comeback

NFL teams have a long history of giving players second chances. It wasn’t that long ago when many assumed Michael Vick would never play in the NFL again.

Yet, even after he was arrested and sent to a federal prison for his role in a dogfighting operation – a crime that sparked intense outrage, and still does to this day —Andy Reid, then with the Philadelphia Eagles, brought him back into the fold, citing the need for second chances.

Six years later the Chiefs, under Reid’s leadership, selected Tyreek Hill, a man who pled guilty to punching and choking his pregnant girlfriend, just three years after linebacker Jovan Belcher killed himself and his girlfriend.

And while you can make an argument that the fact there’s video of the Hunt incident puts him more in line with Ray Rice — who never played again after video surfaced of him knocking out his girlfriend — the truth is that in the NFL, talent rules over all, and Rice was 27 and declining when he hit his girlfriend, while Hunt is 23 and not even close to his physical prime.

To that end, that’s why I believe Hunt, an elite running back who finds a way to evade defenders far better than he managed to answer hard-hitting questions on Sunday, will eventually find a home in the NFL. It will take some counseling, some resolution of the NFL’s investigations into both incidents, and perhaps more important than anything else, time.

“Someone will take a shot on him,” another executive told Yahoo Sports. “Too young, too talented.”

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