Kareem Hunt has opened up about how the team is feeling as they wait for a verdict on the Deshaun Watson situation.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback is currently under investigation from the National Football League over multiple acts of sexual misconduct that he has been accused of committing during his time with the Houston Texans. Whilst he was not indicted by a criminal court for the allegations, he has been facing a number of civil suits against him from his accusers.
He did reach a settlement with 20 of those accusing him, but four still remain while a bombshell report has since revealed there are many more victims out there who haven’t filed a lawsuit against him.
The Browns, despite knowing these accusations were hanging over him, still traded for Deshaun Watson this offseason and gave him a fully guaranteed, 5-year, $230m contract to be their quarterback for the future. That future might not be able to play in 2022.
Speaking to Cleveland.com, Browns running back Kareem Hunt spoke about a number of topics whilst at a youth football camp and how Watson’s legal situation has the Browns in a precarious situation so close to training camp.
“Yeah, it’s definitely stressful for them,” Hunt said on Wednesday.
“It’s tough because they’re trying to figure out what pieces they’ve got for the season and what plays they want to put in,” Hunt said. “There’s different plays for Deshaun and [backup] Jacoby [Brissett], different playbook, different things we can do at quarterback.”
The NFL is seeking at least a one-year suspension, according to the Associated Press.
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“I mean, I really don’t know too much about the whole situation,” said Hunt, adding that he’s focused on himself and feeling 100 percent after suffering calf and ankle injuries last season. “If he misses it, it’s a next-man-up mentality. I’m going to be ready to play, and I know the rest of the team is still going to be ready to play. We didn’t have Deshaun last year or the years before.
“We do [talk about it], but we’re more worried about ourselves. It’s a business, man, that’s the biggest thing. You’ve got to worry about yourself, because if you don’t you could not be here.”
Hunt said he hasn’t spoken to Watson about the process of waiting for a league suspension. He knows what it’s like to be suspended, as he found himself cut by the Chiefs and given an eight-game suspension in 2018 after video of him assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel as published by TMZ.
“Yeah, we talked a little bit, for sure,” Hunt said. “I’m going to keep it between us, but, yeah. It’s a lot, so I just wish him the best, tell him to keep his head up and hopefully things work out.”
