Police did not see footage of Kareem Hunt video until it appeared on TMZ

Staff writer

Sun, Dec 2, 2018, 12:17 AM

In the hours following the release of a TMZ video that showed Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt shoving and kicking a woman, one question has been uttered more than most: How did no one see this until now?

According to an NFL Network report, the NFL and the Chiefs had not seen footage of the incident until TMZ released the video Friday. It turns out that the police had not viewed the footage either.

A Cleveland police spokesperson told USA Today Sports that it knew the footage existed, but never watched it.

Cleveland police spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia told USA TODAY Sports in an email Saturday that while the police reports noted surveillance footage of the incident existed, “detectives only follow up on felonies. This is a misdemeanor.” Ciaccia also said nobody within the department – including the officers who responded to the incident – had reviewed the video until TMZ posted the footage.

The incident between Hunt and the woman occurred in February. Police reports were taken at the time. The initial story detailing the events of the confrontation from Cleveland.com did not mention surveillance footage.

No one was arrested or charged the night of the incident. In February, Ciaccia called it a cross complaint, meaning Hunt or the woman in the video could have to met with a prosecutor if they wanted to pursue charges. That never happened.

In the hours following TMZ releasing the video, the Chiefs cut Hunt. The 23-year-old had rushed for 824 yards in 11 games after leading the NFL in rushing during his rookie season. In their statement, the Chiefs said the video revealed Hunt was “not truthful” in discussions with team officials following the incident.

The handling of the footage by all parties leaves plenty of additional questions unanswered. Why didn’t police watch the video if they knew it existed? Why didn’t the NFL or the Chiefs ask for the footage? Did the NFL ask police whether video footage existed? Did police tell the NFL or the Chiefs they knew footage existed, but had not viewed it yet?

None of that explains how no one involved saw the Hunt footage until now. It only invites more questions.