Kareem Hunt's recent situation with police involving a speeding ticket went viral after footage was obtained revealing everything that ensued between Hunt and the police officer who pulled him over last month.
Included in the video was sound of Hunt admitting that he would have failed a drug test if tested. The officer who pulled Hunt over also found marijuana and an open container of alcohol inside his car after claiming that he had detected an "odor of marijuana coming from inside the car." Hunt, who was acquired by the Browns last offseason, had been released by the Chiefs during the 2018 season after he was involved in a physical altercation with a woman outside of a hotel room. Hunt was placed on the commissioner's exempt list before being handed an eight-game suspension to start the 2019 season.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, following the introduction of new team general manager Andrew Berry on Wednesday, was asked about Hunt's current status with the team.
"It's not good," Haslam said, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "Kareem knows he's got to do better. Kevin and Andrew have talked to him about it and I'll just leave it at that. What he did is not acceptable; he's got to do better."
Haslam was asked what Hunt can do to remain with the Browns moving forward.
"If Kareem can lay out and follow the expectations we've laid out for him," Haslam said, before addressing what the Browns can do to help Hunt. "That's an internal matter. We have and will continue to work closely with Kareem. But he knows our expectations are higher than what he showed a week or two ago."
While he agreed with Haslam's assessment of the situation, new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he wants to work with Hunt, a former Pro Bowler who led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2017. Stefanski added that he also wants to work with receiver Odell Beckham, who also had a recent run-in with the law while in New Orleans celebrating LSU's victory in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
The Browns' off-field distractions played a role in the team's 6-10 record in 2019, a record that ultimately led to the firing of Freddie Kitchens, who has resurfaced in New York as the Giants' new tight ends coach. Along with rumors regarding Beckham's desire to be in Cleveland, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield also had several contentious altercations with reporters. The team is still in the midst of dealing with Myles Garrett's indefinite suspension after the team's Pro Bowl pass rusher was disciplined by the league after hitting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet during Cleveland's Week 11 win over Pittsburgh.
Mayfield, during a recent appearance on ESPN's "Get Up!", said that he will focus less on his critics and more on his on-field performance moving forward.
"Let's just be honest, I put my foot in my mouth a lot this past year," said Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick whose decline in production also contributed to the Browns' underwhelming 2019 record. "I'm going to internalize that. I don't need to respond to the things that don't matter. The things that don't help us win. That's what the focus needs to be about, what can I do to help this team win. ... What can I do to make our franchise better, head in the right direction, do the things of why I was picked in that spot and make it happen."