NewsBot
New Member
- Messages
- 111,281
- Reaction score
- 2,947
As the first wave of free agency wraps up, the NFL used Friday morning to announce Cleveland Browns RB Kareem Hunt has been suspended for the first eight games of the 2019 season. The suspension stems from Hunt’s involvement in one of the league’s more recent off-field controversies, yet still raises questions about the NFL’s policies regarding domestic violence, and how capable the league is of handling these sensitive issues.
After Hunt’s suspension was announced, immediate comparisons were drawn between it and the one Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott received in 2017. Both players were suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, with Elliott receiving six games compared to Hunt’s eight.
NFL announces suspension for RB Kareem Hunt
» https://t.co/14MQX6a0GL
Statement from Hunt: pic.twitter.com/AAzopWOMkc
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 15, 2019
Statement from Kareem Hunt’s agent Dan Saffron, who is not appealing the eight-game suspension for his client: pic.twitter.com/lJ1s1Ivaek
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2019
Both similarities and differences exist between Hunt and Elliott’s situations-the subject matter of the controversies is similar, but the general climate surrounding domestic violence, and the NFL’s approach to these situations, has changed in the time between. But most glaringly, the existence of video evidence of the incident, reminiscent of the Ray Rice scandal from 2014, existed in Hunt’s case and did not in Elliott’s.
The NFL believes this only amounts to a two-game difference between the suspensions, causing a segment of Cowboys fans to cry foul.
Zeke got 6 without evidence. 8 with a videotape https://t.co/NpGYpmmOgJ
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 15, 2019
Ezekiel Elliott: Incredible accuser + evidence of no wrongdoing + dismissed criminal case + recommendation for no suspension by lead NFL investigator = 6 games
Kareem Hunt: Irrefutable video evidence = 8 games
Hmmm… https://t.co/88cPYEzLJ4
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) March 15, 2019
Stop the bs…he want guilty either. No charges. No evidence. Lead investigator said accuser was not credible and recommended no punishment https://t.co/4lza8umJ6A
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 15, 2019
However, Hunt was also placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for the final five games of the 2018 season, bringing the total number of missed games to 13.
How the actual moral implications of the events that occurred translate into league-mandated suspensions can be debated, but the situations of each player simply aren’t one-for one. Elliott’s situation was a slow-burn that devolved into a full-blown nightmare for both the NFL and Cowboys, which dragged into the regular season. To many who view the events as a conspiracy against America’s Team, eight games for Hunt is simply not enough to justify the suspension Elliott received.
The Hunt controversy however, was a major bombshell that dropped during the regular season, and had immediate consequences on both the player and AFC playoff picture. How the teams and league would handle Hunt was initially unclear, but it soon became apparent he’d get another chance sooner rather than later, after Cleveland signed Hunt to a new contract shortly after the Super Bowl.
The general feeling around the league does seem different than the one that surrounded Elliott in 2017. Many anticipate just what Hunt will bring to the rejuvenated Browns offense, and Cleveland themselves were expecting a longer suspension.
Kareem Hunt gets 8-game suspension from the NFL. The Browns are going to be extremely talented in the back half of the 2019 season.
— Chase Williams WPXI (@chasepwilliams) March 15, 2019
No matter what reasons the NFL could use to make its determination for Kareem Hunt’s 2019 suspension, they were sure to be divisive. As the entire country also grapples with similar complicated issues, it becomes more and more obvious just how ill-equipped the league is to navigate waters such as these.
To some, Hunt’s eight-game suspension is a sign of the NFL’s progress and ability to correctly analyze these situations, while others view it as just another glaring example of the league’s dated and inefficient approach to controlling player conduct.
.@stephenasmith thinks the NFL got Kareem Hunt's punishment right. pic.twitter.com/IFoSQVxd13
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 15, 2019
Gallery
Cowboys 7-round Mock Draft: March 15, 2019
Continue reading...
After Hunt’s suspension was announced, immediate comparisons were drawn between it and the one Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott received in 2017. Both players were suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, with Elliott receiving six games compared to Hunt’s eight.
NFL announces suspension for RB Kareem Hunt
Statement from Hunt: pic.twitter.com/AAzopWOMkc
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 15, 2019
Statement from Kareem Hunt’s agent Dan Saffron, who is not appealing the eight-game suspension for his client: pic.twitter.com/lJ1s1Ivaek
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2019
Both similarities and differences exist between Hunt and Elliott’s situations-the subject matter of the controversies is similar, but the general climate surrounding domestic violence, and the NFL’s approach to these situations, has changed in the time between. But most glaringly, the existence of video evidence of the incident, reminiscent of the Ray Rice scandal from 2014, existed in Hunt’s case and did not in Elliott’s.
The NFL believes this only amounts to a two-game difference between the suspensions, causing a segment of Cowboys fans to cry foul.
Zeke got 6 without evidence. 8 with a videotape https://t.co/NpGYpmmOgJ
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 15, 2019
Ezekiel Elliott: Incredible accuser + evidence of no wrongdoing + dismissed criminal case + recommendation for no suspension by lead NFL investigator = 6 games
Kareem Hunt: Irrefutable video evidence = 8 games
Hmmm… https://t.co/88cPYEzLJ4
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) March 15, 2019
Stop the bs…he want guilty either. No charges. No evidence. Lead investigator said accuser was not credible and recommended no punishment https://t.co/4lza8umJ6A
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 15, 2019
However, Hunt was also placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for the final five games of the 2018 season, bringing the total number of missed games to 13.
How the actual moral implications of the events that occurred translate into league-mandated suspensions can be debated, but the situations of each player simply aren’t one-for one. Elliott’s situation was a slow-burn that devolved into a full-blown nightmare for both the NFL and Cowboys, which dragged into the regular season. To many who view the events as a conspiracy against America’s Team, eight games for Hunt is simply not enough to justify the suspension Elliott received.
The Hunt controversy however, was a major bombshell that dropped during the regular season, and had immediate consequences on both the player and AFC playoff picture. How the teams and league would handle Hunt was initially unclear, but it soon became apparent he’d get another chance sooner rather than later, after Cleveland signed Hunt to a new contract shortly after the Super Bowl.
The general feeling around the league does seem different than the one that surrounded Elliott in 2017. Many anticipate just what Hunt will bring to the rejuvenated Browns offense, and Cleveland themselves were expecting a longer suspension.
Kareem Hunt gets 8-game suspension from the NFL. The Browns are going to be extremely talented in the back half of the 2019 season.
— Chase Williams WPXI (@chasepwilliams) March 15, 2019
No matter what reasons the NFL could use to make its determination for Kareem Hunt’s 2019 suspension, they were sure to be divisive. As the entire country also grapples with similar complicated issues, it becomes more and more obvious just how ill-equipped the league is to navigate waters such as these.
To some, Hunt’s eight-game suspension is a sign of the NFL’s progress and ability to correctly analyze these situations, while others view it as just another glaring example of the league’s dated and inefficient approach to controlling player conduct.
.@stephenasmith thinks the NFL got Kareem Hunt's punishment right. pic.twitter.com/IFoSQVxd13
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 15, 2019
Gallery
Cowboys 7-round Mock Draft: March 15, 2019
Continue reading...