Buzzer-Beater: Hunt Details Fateful September Text to Chiefs

Kareem Hunt on Sunday night compared it to a buzzer-beater, a half-court shot. But it wasn’t simply a game on the line. It was his professional career and his livelihood.

His shot wasn’t a 47-foot prayer. It was a simple but life-changing text to Andy Reid.

Watching from his Cleveland couch last September, Hunt saw Isiah Pacheco fracture his fibula in the Chiefs’ narrow Week 2 win over Cincinnati. Nervous as a kid on his first day of school, Hunt finally mustered the courage to hit send on that fateful message.

“Coach, this is Kareem,” he read from his phone on Episode 2 of The Kingdom. “Hope everything is good with you. Would love an opportunity to come help you guys. I'm in shape. Hope to talk soon.

“He responded back, ‘Let me get with Veach. Appreciate you for reaching out.’ Probably two or three hours later, he gave me a call and said, ‘We're gonna bring you in and work you out.’ I said, ‘Thank you, Coach. I won't let you down.’”

Kareem Hunt, Trey Smith — Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (29) reacts with guard Trey Smith (65) after Hunt scored a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The first chance

Letting the Chiefs down is something he unfortunately did earlier in his career. After a fantastic rookie campaign in which he led the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards, video surfaced from a February 2018 incident at a Cleveland hotel in which Hunt was seen pushing and kicking at woman. The Chiefs released him in November that year.

NFL players are human beings who make mistakes, just like fans. The league is also a haven for forgiveness and second chances, with countless examples of players like Michael Vick -- and now Hunt.

The second chance

Now 30 years old, the running back clearly wasn’t comfortable talking about his story, something the ESPN docuseries spotlighted in an emotional Episode 2. In order to return to the league with the Cleveland Browns in 2019, he had to apologize and admit his mistake without excuses, then take sincere steps to change and grow.

Decked out in a dapper red-orange sports jacket, the latest from Tom Marchitelli’s line at Gentleman’s Playbook, Hunt walked the red carpet at the Kauffman Center on Sunday night as the Chiefs organization celebrated the release of the six-part ESPN original series.

“It’s one of those things that's never easy,” Hunt said Sunday, reflecting on his journey back to Kansas City. “I'm grateful to be able to have the opportunity to be back here and play ball again, for the Chiefs. … but it's one of those things that, I'm moving forward; I'm trying to better myself and leave the past in the past. And, that's how I look at it.”

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