Browns news: Kareem Hunt says minor incident in Cleveland was a wakeup call

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt says he's treating a minor physical altercation in early June as a wakeup call and learning experience.

The Cleveland Browns and general manager John Dorsey took a risk by signing Kareem Hunt. When the star running back was involved in a physical altercation at a downtown Cleveland bar in late June, it appeared as if Cleveland's gamble was already proving a mistake. Two months later, though, Hunt is adamant he's using another off-field incident as a wakeup call.

“I'm always gonna have work to do,” he said on Monday, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Since I stepped in the building I had work to do, so, I'm just gonna keep staying in my lane and do whatever I can to take my game to the next level and stay out of trouble.”

Rumors began circulating in early June that Hunt was involved in a fight at Barley House, a local bar. Hunt spoke with police offers after the incident and wasn't arrested, while the owner of the bar told Ben Axelrod of WKYC3 that the fracas was “blown out of proportion.”

The Browns signed Hunt in February. He was released by the Kansas City Chiefs in late November of last year following video surfacing of him assaulting a woman at a Cleveland hotel the previous February. The NFL announced in March that Hunt would be suspended for the first half of the 2019 regular season as a result of him violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

The NFL’s leading rusher and a Pro Bowler as a rookie, Hunt was in the midst of another stellar campaign when the video of his assault was released, rushing for 824 yards and scoring 14 total touchdowns through 11 games played. He was a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Hunt missed the first eight practices of training camp with a minor injury. He was cleared to return over the weekend, taking part in the Browns' first training camp scrimmage.