CLOSE SportsPulse: NFL Insider Mike Jones ponders why it took a TMZ video for the Chiefs to make the right call and where the league and Kareem Hunt go from here. USA TODAY 
 
 Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (27) runs the ball during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 26-14. (Photo: Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports) 
 
 Video published Friday shows Kansas City Chiefs star running back Kareem Hunt getting into a physical altercation with a woman in which he shoves her, charges at her and kicks her in the hallway of a Cleveland apartment building. 
 
 Hunt was released by the Chiefs later on Friday, with team saying the player "was not truthful" in discussions about the incident. 
 
 The incident took place Feb. 10, according to police reports obtained by USA TODAY Sports. The video, published by TMZ, appears to be security footage from inside the apartment building. Hunt was not charged. 
 
 Hunt can be seen approaching the woman and engaging in a verbal argument before shoving her back with his right hand. Another man tries to restrain Hunt, while the woman approaches him and swats at Hunt’s face, making contact. 
 
 The video then shows multiple people restraining Hunt as he tries to free himself and charge toward her. Then, after the situation appeared to be defused, another man restrains the woman before Hunt barrels through the hallway, knocking into the man and the woman, sending them tumbling to the ground. 
 
 After being knocked to the ground, the woman appears to be disoriented and tries to collect herself. While she is kneeling near the ground, Hunt walks over and kicks her with his right foot. 
 
 Police responded to the luxury apartment and hotel building after a woman told 911 operators she was assaulted. Once on the scene, police interviewed two of the alleged victims, one stating that she had been assaulted “by a player” after the two were asked to leave the apartment belonging to Hunt,” according to the police reports obtained. 
 
 “Kareem, is his name,” one of the alleged victims told police in bodycam footage obtained by TMZ. “I just met him today. He shoved me. He pushed me. ... Kareem, the person who assaulted me, had my phone. I had no way of calling (police).” 
 
 Rayshawn Watkins, Hunt’s friend, friend told police that the accuser began calling both him and Hunt the “N-word” after the two were asked to leave the room once they found out both women were 19 years old. The two then pounded on the door of the apartment “about 20 times,” Watkins told police. 
 
 Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Ryan Miday told USA TODAY Sports that the office – which typically only handles felony cases – is not currently pursuing charges against Hunt. A search of the Cleveland Municipal Court online database does not show any pending case involving Hunt. 
 
 "I want to apologize for my actions," Hunt said in a statement to ESPN and NFL Network. "I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this." 
 
 The NFL on Friday placed Hunt on the commissioner's exempt list, preventing him from practicing as well as playing in and attending games. 
 
 Hunt has not missed any games and had been an integral part of Kansas City’s success, rushing the ball 181 times for 824 yards and seven touchdowns, while adding 26 catches for 378 yards and seven more receiving scores. 
 
 CLOSE Listen to the 911 call reporting the violent altercation between Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt and a woman at a Cleveland hotel in February. USA TODAY 
 
 During training camp in August, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt addressed the incident 
 
 “The team’s made up of a bunch of young men,” Hunt said Aug. 4, according to the Kansas City Star. “They’re not always going to make the best decisions, but we have a strong support system, both with the coaching staff and also with our player development department that works with young guys and talks to them about the situations that they want to be in. 
 
 “Kareem is a young man, second year in the league, obviously had a very big year on the field last year. I’m sure he learned some lessons this offseason and hopefully won’t be in those kind of situations in the future.” 
 
 Clark Hunt later added that he didn’t expect the running back to be suspended. 
 
 According to the Star, Kareem Hunt said at the time of the incident: “I’ve learned from it and I’m focused on football.” 
 
 When questioned further, he offered little more. 
 
 “Just be in the right place at the right time,” Hunt said. “I’m going to keep thinking about football and go out there and do my job.” 
 
 Cleveland police spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia told USA TODAY Sports in email that the "city did not release surveillance video" TMZ posted. Ciaccia did not immediately respond when asked if police viewed the footage before Friday. 
 
 Domestic violence came to the forefront in the NFL in 2014 when video obtained by TMZ showed former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancée in an elevator in an Atlantic City hotel in February. 
 
 The NFL suspended Rice for two games in June 2014. However the league was criticized for the light penalty after the video became public in September. Commissioner Roger Goodell then announced that Rice would be suspended indefinitely. 
 
 Rice later appealed, and then won, vacating the lengthier suspension. He was cut by the Ravens and never played in the NFL again. ||||| Kareem Hunt Cut by the Chiefs for Brutalizing Woman on Video ... Team Says He Lied 
 
 KC Chiefs Release Kareem Hunt Over Video of Him Brutalizing Woman 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 6:27 PM PT -- Hunt just made a statement to ESPN about our video, saying, "I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this." 
 
 5:50 PM PT -- The Chiefs have cut Kareem Hunt, and say he lied to the team when they spoke directly to him about the incident. 
 
 The team says when the NFL and Cleveland PD launched their investigations the team called in Hunt and "several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video released today confirms that fact." 
 
 A source connected to the NFL investigation tells TMZ ... the league made multiple attempts to obtain the video, but was turned away. We're told the league contacted the hotel, and was told it is corporate policy to only turn surveillance video over to law enforcement. 
 
 We contacted the Metropolitan at The 9 and COO Tony Quintal says, "We realize that this is an ongoing investigation and cannot share any additional information at this time." 
 
 We're told the NFL also contacted Cleveland PD attempting to get the video, but was also denied. The source says the league's investigation included reaching out to the alleged victim, who did not respond. 
 
 5:26 PM PT -- The NFL just announced Hunt's been placed on the commissioner exempt list and will NOT practice, play or attend games. The NFL added, "The NFL's investigation, which began immediately following the incident in February, will include a review of the new information that was made public today." 
 
 1:33 PM PT -- Hunt has reportedly been sent home from the Chiefs' practice facility, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. 
 
 He reports Hunt will likely be placed on the commissioner's exempt list -- which means he will probably not play this Sunday when the Chiefs take on the Raiders in Oakland. 
 
 TMZ Sports has obtained video of Kansas City Chiefs star running back Kareem Hunt shoving, bull-rushing and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel back in February. 
 
 Kareem has not missed a single game this season despite the incident happening MONTHS before the 2018 NFL season kicked off ... and team CEO Clark Hunt publicly stated in August he doubted Hunt would be suspended. 
 
 In the video, Hunt is seen arguing with a 19-year-old woman outside of his room at The Metropolitan at the 9 at 3:22 AM on February 10, 2018. 
 
 Hunt turns a corner and confronts the woman, shoving her hard. The woman strikes him back in the face ... and that's when Hunt goes berserk. 
 
 As friends try to hold him back, the 2017 Pro Bowler -- who led the league in rushing yards -- explodes and knocks one of his friends into the woman ... who both go flying into a wall. 
 
 Both Kareem's male friend and the woman appear dazed -- but Kareem makes his way over to the female and kicks her while she's crouching on the ground ... knocking her over. 
 
 Police were called to the scene but no arrests were made. According to police reports, obtained by TMZ Sports, surveillance video from the hotel was obtained by law enforcement. We're told that video is part of the evidence that was submitted to prosecutors. 
 
 Still, cops did not arrest Hunt and no charges were filed because officers say they were unable to determine if a crime had been committed. 
 
 At the time of the incident, the woman told police the whole thing started because Kareem kicked her out of his room after she refused to hook up with one of the men in Kareem's entourage. 
 
 Kareem's friends told cops the woman had gone crazy when asked to leave and called Kareem the n-word ... and then struck one of Kareem's female friends once things turned physical. 
 
 Unclear why the NFL has not taken any action against Hunt. We reached out to the league to find out if they pursued the video. We also reached out to cops to find out if the NFL contacted them about the footage as well. 
 
 The whole incident is reminiscent of the Ray Rice scandal when the NFL star knocked out his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator in Feb. 2014. 
 
 The NFL suspended him indefinitely -- but only after TMZ Sports published the brutal knockout video from inside the elevator ... video the NFL claimed they had not seen until our story. 
 
 After the incident, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged failures in the NFL's investigative process and said they would overhaul their protocol. 
 
 Since then, the NFL claims it has tried to be tougher on players accused of attacking women -- most famously, the league suspended Ezekiel Elliott for 6 games in 2017 stemming from allegations he got physical with an ex-girlfriend in 2016. 
 
 We reached out to the NFL for comment -- so far, no word back. 
 
 Originally Published -- 11:33 AM PST ||||| Running back Kareem Hunt was released by the Chiefs hours after video footage published Friday showed him shoving and kicking a woman in a hallway. 
 
 “Earlier this year, we were made aware of an incident involving running back Kareem Hunt,” read a statement issued by the Chiefs on Friday night. “At that time, the National Football League and law enforcement initiated investigations into the issue. As part of our internal discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video released today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.” 
 
 The video of Hunt, obtained and published by TMZ Sports, is related to a February 2018 altercation on an early Saturday morning at The Metropolitan at the 9, Hunt’s hotel apartment in downtown Cleveland. Police were called and a written report was previously made, but video footage was not available until it was published by TMZ. 
 
 “I want to apologize for my actions,” Hunt said in a statement to ESPN. “I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this.” 
 
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 In response to an email from The Star inquiring about the NFL’s knowledge of the video, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, “Neither the NFL nor the Chiefs viewed the video before it became public today.” 
 
 According to a source with knowledge of the NFL’s investigation, the hotel told NFL representatives that it could only give video to law enforcement under corporate policy; the NFL contacted the Cleveland Police Department, which did not provide the NFL any video; and the NFL contacted the alleged victims, who did not respond to multiple messages. 
 
 Minutes before the Chiefs took action, the NFL said Hunt, who led the league in rushing as a rookie last season, had been placed on the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt List and that it “will include a review of the new information made public today” in the investigation it first opened in February. Hunt cannot practice or play in games for any NFL team while on the exempt list. 
 
 In the video, Hunt is seen coming out of a room and talking to a woman off camera. When she approached Hunt, he shoved her, and she hit him in the face. When another man came out of the hotel room and tried to intervene, Hunt continued to lunge toward the woman. As more people came into the hallway, Hunt had to be restrained several times as he made advances toward the woman and other people. At one point, Hunt appeared to knock two people over with a shove, including the woman he initially shoved. At the end of the video, Hunt kicked the woman as she was crouched on the ground. 
 
 The Chiefs and NFL did not take any action against Hunt after the altercation was reported to police in February. Hunt fully participated in Friday’s practice and was in the locker room afterward. He was spotted leaving the Chiefs’ facility at 2 p.m in his vehicle. The video was posted by TMZ at 1:33 p.m. The NFL statement was issued around 7:30 p.m. and the Chiefs released him shortly before 8 p.m. 
 
 No charges have been filed stemming from the altercation, which occurred on Feb. 10, but two police reports were created. In one report, 19-year-old Abigail Ottinger is listed as a suspect, and in another Hunt is listed as a suspect. 
 
 Ottinger told police that Hunt “shoved and pushed her.” There was no mention of a kick in either police report or in police interviews with involved parties. 
 
 SHARE COPY LINK Bodycam video released by the Cleveland Police Department shows a woman allegedly assaulted by Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt detailing her account of what happened at the Metropolitan at the 9 hotel in downtown Cleveland. 
 
 According to one of the police reports, Ottinger and a friend told police they were Kent State students and were traveling to Cleveland bars with Hunt and his friends on a party bus. According to the police reports, Ottinger and her friend went back to Hunt’s hotel apartment, and Hunt’s friend told police that he kicked the girls out of the apartment when he learned they were 19. Ottinger told police they were kicked out because she “didn’t want” one of the men in the group. The man was not specifically identified. According to Hunt’s friend in one of the reports, Ottinger called Hunt and his friends racial slurs when they were told to leave. Once outside of the room, the report says, Ottinger and her friend banged on the hotel door “about 20 times. Ottinger eventually sat down on the ground outside the room, according to the report, and that’s when Hunt and another friend came outside to tell them to “go home” and Hunt “shoved and pushed” her. 
 
 The description of the violence in the police reports is brief, but in one, the police report that “the pushing and shoving caused abrasions on her left knee, right hand and a scratch on (Ottinger’s) chest.” Also in the same report, Ottinger’s friend said “‘all the boys’ began ‘chasing’ (Ottinger) around and trying to ‘hit’ her.” According to the report, the friend tried to record the this when one of Hunt’s friends took the phone out of her hand. She said that when she went after him, someone grabbed her and she fell to the floor. 
 
 TMZ also published a 15-second body cam video Friday of a shirtless Hunt talking to police. 
 
 Hunt was also involved in another altercation in June when he allegedly punched a man in the face at an Ohio resort. Hunt was not arrested following that incident either. 
 
 SHARE COPY LINK Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt speaks briefly on Aug. 4, 2018 during training camp in St. Joseph about his offseason incidents and what he's learned. 
 
 Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt addressed Hunt’s offseason altercations during training camp. 
 
 “The team is made up of a bunch of young men,” Clark Hunt said at the Chiefs’ training camp before the season. “They’re not always going to make the best decisions, but we have a strong support system both with the coaching staff and with our player development department that works with young guys and talks to them about the situations that they want to be in. Kareem is a young man, second year in the league, obviously had a very big year on the field last year. I’m sure he learned some lessons this offseason and hopefully won’t be in those kinds of situations in the future.” 
 
 Asked at training camp about his offseason, Kareem Hunt didn’t elaborate much. 
 
 “Just be in the right place at the right time,” he said then. “I’m going to keep thinking about football and go out there and do my job.” 
 
 As a rookie last season, Hunt led the league in rushing with 1,327 yards. This year, Hunt has 824 yards and seven touchdowns. 
 
 The Star’s Lynn Worthy contributed to this report 
 
 Brooke Pryor Brooke Pryor covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star. ||||| FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2017, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt warms up for the team's NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston. A person with knowledge of the move... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2017, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt warms up for the team's NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston. A person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that Hunt appears headed to the NFL's Commissioner Exempt List, sidelining... (Associated Press) 
 
 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt on Friday night after video surfaced that showed the NFL's reigning rushing champion knocking over and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel hallway in February. 
 
 The team issued a statement shortly after the NFL had placed Hunt on its Commissioner Exemption List that said the running back lied when asked about the incident by team officials. The team said "the video today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately." 
 
 Hunt was at the Chiefs' facility earlier Friday in preparation for Sunday's trip to Oakland, but he was excused and sent home shortly after TMZ posted the video online. It shows Hunt being restrained several times by friends before pushing a woman to the ground, where he proceeds to kick her. 
 
 Police were called to the scene during the Feb. 10 incident, no charges were filed. The police did not respond to several requests for comment Friday night. 
 
 "Earlier this year, we were made aware of an incident involving running back Kareem Hunt. At that time, the National Football League and law enforcement initiated investigations into the issue," the Chiefs said. "As part of our internal discussions with Kareem, several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions." 
 
 The Chiefs and the NFL have been aware of Hunt's incident since it occurred, but much like the case involving former Ravens running back Ray Rice, the shocking video brought a new dimension to the case. It showed Hunt lunging toward a woman and several others in the hotel hallway, and the second-year pro being restrained several times before knocking two people down. 
 
 While no charges were filed from the altercation, two police reports were created. Hunt is listed as the suspect in one of them and a woman, Abigail Ottinger, is the suspect in the other one. 
 
 Hunt also was involved in a June incident, according to TMZ, in which he allegedly punched a man at an Ohio resort. The man Hunt struck declined to press charges. 
 
 "I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did," Hunt said in a statement issued to several outlets shortly after he was released. "I hope to move on from this." 
 
 When asked about the incidents in training camp, Hunt said "I've learned from it." When asked to elaborate on what he learned, he replied: "Just be in the right place at the right time." 
 
 Hunt led the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns in helping Kansas City make the playoffs. He had run for 824 yards this season, with seven touchdowns passing and seven more receiving, in helping the Chiefs to a 9-2 start and a stranglehold on the AFC West. 
 
 Spencer Ware is expected to take over as the lead running back. 
 
 Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt was asked several times about Hunt's incidents in the offseason, and he acknowledged that "young men are not always going to make the best decisions." 
 
 "We have a strong support system, both with the coaching staff and also our player development that works with young guys and talks to them about the situations that they want to be in," Clark Hunt said during training camp. "Obviously he had a very big year on the field last year. I'm sure he learned some lessons this offseason and hopefully won't be in those kind of situations in the future." 
 
 He won't be as a member of the Chiefs. 
 
 Domestic violence has been a major issue in the NFL in recent years, one that struck home in Kansas City in 2012 when Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend before killing himself at the team's practice facility. Belcher was later found to have suffered from CTE. 
 
 The most memorable incident came in 2014, when a video showed Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator in an Atlantic City hotel. Rice was originally suspended two games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who later was heavily criticized for such a light penalty after the video was released. 
 
 Rice soon after was suspended indefinitely by the league. He won an appeal but was released by the Ravens, and the three-time Pro Bowl running back never returned to the NFL. 
 
 Last year, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was suspended for six games by Goodell after the league concluded following a yearlong investigation that he had several physical confrontations in the summer of 2016 with his girlfriend at the time. 
 
 The league has implemented a stronger domestic violence policy, but incidents have continued to make news. Just last weekend, the 49ers cut linebacker Reuben Foster when he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence — he has since signed with Washington but remains on the NFL's exempt list. 
 
 Hunt had exhibited a pattern of questionable behavior dating to his college days at Toledo, where he shattered school records but also was suspended his junior season for violating team rules. 
 
 The Chiefs chose him in the third round of last year's NFL draft, and he was poised to spend the season as the backup before Ware went down with a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Hunt was thrust into the starting role and fumbled on his very first carry in a game in New England, but bounced back to have one of the best seasons in franchise history. 
 
 He had six games of at least 100 yards rushing and helped Kansas City win consecutive division titles for the first time, a season that ultimately landed Hunt in the Pro Bowl. 
 
 Hunt was off to another good start this season, his rushing yardage putting him fourth in the NFL and his touchdown total trailing only the Rams' Todd Gurley II and the Saints' Alvin Kamara. 
 
 He was also well-liked in the locker room, despite the off-the-field distractions from this past offseason. Hunt had joined quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and several other Chiefs players in attending Sporting Kansas City's playoff game on Thursday night. 
 
 ___ 
 
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– The Kansas City Chiefs learned of an incident earlier this year involving running back Kareem Hunt and a woman—but when the management team confronted him about it, "Kareem was not truthful," the team said Friday. Those lies became all too clear with TMZ Sports' Friday release of surveillance video that captures the incident and shows Hunt shoving and kicking a woman in a hallway in his Cleveland hotel apartment, The Metropolitan at the 9. In light of the video's release, the team announced it was "releasing Kareem immediately." The Kansas City Star reports police did respond to the Feb. 10 incident and two police reports resulted. No charges were filed, and the paper describes the footage as being "not available" until TMZ obtained it. Both the team and the NFL said they hadn't seen it. More: The Star reports one police report named the 19-year-old woman as the suspect; the other named Hunt. Citing a police report, USA Today reports the female said she and a female friend had met Hunt that day, partied with him and his friends, and returned to his apartment. She said she got thrown out because she "didn't want" one of the men; a friend of Hunt's says the two women were booted when their ages surfaced. The woman allegedly used racial slurs, knocked repeatedly on the door, and sat outside the apartment. Hunt and a friend then tell her and her friend to leave. The video shows the two talking before Hunt shoves her. She hits him in the face and he tries to charge toward her as others restrain him; he kicks her toward the end of the video as she's squatting on the ground. Hunt said in a statement, "I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this." As far as moving on goes, the Washington Post notes that prior to the Chiefs releasing Hunt the NFL put him on paid administrative leave via the commissioner’s exempt list. That means even if another NFL team were to scoop him up, he's not currently eligible to play. The NFL launched an investigation in February and will now include a review of the video, which a source tells the Post the NFL repeatedly tried to obtain. The hotel reportedly said its policy restricted it to only giving it to law enforcement. ESPN reports the league did reach out to the Cleveland Police Department, but it would not share the video. Here's the AP on Hunt's standout career thus far: "Hunt led the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns in helping Kansas City make the playoffs. He had run for 824 yards this season, with seven touchdowns passing and seven more receiving, in helping the Chiefs to a 9-2 start and a stranglehold on the AFC West."