Can the Cleveland Browns handle ‘Bad Boys’?

The Cleveland Browns have signed the most controversial player in today’s NFL, in Kareem Hunt. But are they prepared to handle such a move?

The Cleveland Browns have signed the most controversial player in today’s NFL in Kareem Hunt. Hunt is the subject of a criminal investigation for his alleged role in a fight in a Cleveland hotel involving a woman.

What is the rationale for pursuing a professional relationship with Kareem Hunt, and why does John Dorsey believe that there is a chance for a positive outcome?

Let us put aside the specifics of Hunt’s case and first ask about the overall problem of domestic violence in America.  The numbers from The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence are staggering as they show that about one out of three women in the United States face some form of domestic violence, and:

More from Dawg Pound Daily

• How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
• Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
• 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
• Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
• 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target

"“one in four women and one in seven men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime…..one in seven women have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.”"

This is horrific and goes way beyond the importance of winning sporting matches.

Hunt is the subject of an ongoing investigation, and there may be repercussions in the American justice system, as well as from the league. In any case, there is a video which appears to show Hunt assaulting a woman, pushing her and kicking her.

Perhaps, one way to consider the Browns’ contemplated action of hiring Hunt is to ask whether this is going to make the domestic violence problem in our society better or worse. Some fear that allowing Hunt to wear the Brown and Orange might legitimize and even glorify what he has done.

Others believe that the NFL may be able to help Mr. Hunt by providing the medical, psychological and spiritual assistance that might turn his life around. In America, even convicted felons are normally allowed to re-enter society after their debt is paid in the form of serving time or other punishment.

In the case of the Browns, we can look at the recent past to see that the record with troubled athletes is not good. Johnny Manziel, Josh Gordon, and Mychal Kendricks were all sent away and got worse rather than better while under the Browns’ care.

The old Browns were once out in front on this issue. Coach Sam Rutigliano, working with Dr. Gregory Collins of the Cleveland Clinic, created the“Inner Circle” program, which was initially created to assist his NFL players maintain healthy drug-free lifestyles, and dealing with the special problems of addiction in the sports world. The Brown’s Inner Circle serves as a template for all NFL teams today, and has also expanded its outreach to  give elementary students the opportunity for greater lifetime success through the program.

In the case of Manziel, the team was willing to overlook obvious signs of a problem, and they were even willing to accept his public admission that he had begun to drink again, a short time after emerging from his first rehab. In fact, they happily handed Manziel the first string job. That is insane behavior and shows that the Browns ownership and management had obvious signs of being enablers. They were totally out of touch and were definitely not prepared to deal with the issues of addiction.

In the case of Josh Gordon, the team exhibited more patience, but in September 2018 apparently some threshold was crossed and the team felt it necessary to part with him. It’s difficult to know what really happened, but from the outside, it appears that the team had decided to have zero tolerance for any additional transgressions, so of course Josh screwed up by having a commercial shot on the premises and pulling a muscle on top of that. You can interpret that in a number of ways, but to this observer, it seems that they had set themselves up to part ways.

Similarly, Mychal Kendricks was known to  have had legal issues, and when he pled guilty to insider trading, he was immediately cut from the team. We are entitled to ask, however, why Browns management was not able to learn more about the details of Kendricks’ legal difficulties in advance. Did they seek legal advice before extending a contract offer? Or did they just go their gut? Also, when they cut Kendricks, was that done on the basis legal advice? Or was that based on the gut as well (Kendricks was eventually suspended by the league for eight games, but was allowed to return).

On the other hand, the Browns seem to have done well with Antonio Callaway, a troubled young player who had been held back in college by suspensions and substance abuse issues. So perhaps there is some cause for optimism.

What have the Browns put in place that would allow them to be a positive influence in reshaping Mr. Hunt’s life trajectory?  If the answer is “nothing,” then this experiment is probably doomed to failure.

Or, are they working with specialists in Domestic Violence? There are programs out there that specialize in psychological, physical and medical treatment to rehabilitate offenders as well as their families and other victims. The Browns’ Inner Circle program should be a major asset.

Are the Browns taking advantage of these resources and have they instituted a program within the organization? Do the psychologists and professional counselors agree that Hunt is a good prospect for recovery? If these signs are positive, then there is some reason to proceed.

However, let us quickly acknowledge that there is very little evidence that the Browns have made preparations to succeed with Kareem Hunt.  Hence the prospects for success are not very bright.

Lastly, let’s talk about the issue of league suspensions. This is actually the least of the moral and ethical issues that they face. Suspensions totally favor the team. They don’t have to pay the player when he is suspended by the league, and they do not have to maintain a roster spot either. In short, nothing bad happens when a player is suspended outside of him not being available. There’s no downside from the standpoint of contracts and finances. When the suspension is over the player simply resumes his career. John Dorsey has not put any major assets on risk on this venture. From a football perspective, there is very little to lose.

The human issues are much more serious.

In summary, the issue of whether or not to accept Kareem Hunt as a member of the team depends not only on him but also on how well the team is prepared to help him deal with some very serious issues.  Although John Dorsey is saying a lot of the right things, the Browns have not had success with troubled players in the past.