Kansas City Chiefs

Our TMZ photog was out in Washington D.C. today covering the George H.W. Bush funeral ... when Roger Goodell came walking down the street.

So, we had to ask about the obvious issue involving the NFL and TMZ ... Kareem Hunt.

We got right next to the NFL Commish and asked him if he thinks Hunt will ever play another down in the league. We asked some follow-up questions too.

But, Goodell wasn't ready to have that conversation.

The NFL has issued several statements on the Kareem Hunt situation so it's not like the league is stonewalling the media -- but so far, we haven't heard from Goodell directly.

Back in 2014 during the Ray Rice situation, Goodell held a press conference and took questions from reporters about the league's attempts to obtain the video.

So far, we haven't heard of any plans for Goodell to hold a similar media event in regards to Kareem Hunt.

The Cleveland Police Dept. says one of its officers leaked a copy of the Kareem Hunt police report to the NFL back in February -- and now it's launched an internal investigation.

"Following an internal review, it has been determined that in February 2018 a member of the Cleveland Division of Police provided a copy of the police report involving the February 10, 2018 assault incident at The 9 to a representative from the National Football League," the PD said.

"The report did not go through the official public records request process."

So, what's the takeaway? The statement implies the NFL did go outside of official channels in an effort to gather information about the incident.

The CPD also says it's looking into the "overall response" by the PD regarding the Hunt incident -- but did not get specific about other issues.

One big question ... why didn't the responding officers make more of an effort to view the surveillance video on the night of the incident?

The woman was seen on police body cam video begging the officers to view the tapes -- but cops said they were stuck because the hotel is a "private facility" and "they don't have to show us unless they're ordered by a court."

TMZ Sports obtained video of a very upset Kareem Hunt being restrained in the moments after he allegedly beat up a 37-year-old man inside of a Kansas City nightclub back in January.

As we previously reported, a man filed a police report back in January claiming Hunt and George Atkinson -- along with others -- jumped him at the Mosaic nightclub around 2 AM on Jan. 7.

In the police report, the man claims the Chiefs players had been partying at the club after being bounced out of the playoffs by the Titans a few hours earlier. The man claims he suffered broken bones and bruises in the attack.

In the video, you can clearly see Hunt being held back by a security guard -- while other patrons try to calm him down. We're told Hunt was eventually escorted out of the club.

Neither Hunt nor Atkinson were arrested and no charges were filed. Law enforcement tells us the accuser eventually stopped cooperating with police.

Of course, the very next month Hunt got into a violent altercation with a woman at a hotel in Ohio -- and despite being restrained in that incident, he broke free and brutalized the woman.

Hunt allegedly got into a 3rd altercation at a resort in Ohio in June. He was not arrested or charged with a crime in that incident either.

Kareem Hunt's out of the NFL -- and the virtual NFL too -- because EA Sports says the running back is being removed from the Madden 19 video game.

After TMZ Sports posted footage of the former Kansas City Chiefs player attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel during an incident in February, the video game company says it made the decision to pull Hunt from the game.

"We are in the process of removing Kareem Hunt from the Madden NFL 19 roster, Madden Overdrive and Madden Ultimate Team," a rep for EA Sports tells TMZ Sports.

"Any of our players who currently have Hunt on their Ultimate Team will receive a replacement generic player with identical stats."

There's no reason Kareem Hunt shouldn't be arrested and charged with battery for attacking that woman back in February ... so says famed prosecutor Christopher Darden.

"I would have filed battery charges against him," Darden tells TMZ Sports ... saying the video evidence would essentially make it an "open-and-shut case."

Darden is most famous for his work in the O.J. Simpson trial, but also prosecuted tons of cases during his 15-year run as a part of the L.A. County District Attorney's office.

In fact, Darden tells us exactly what he would do to get the conviction -- even if the victim refuses to cooperate.

Darden also says prosecutors in Ohio still have time to make things right and arrest Hunt -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the NFL star would benefit from a court-ordered sentence like a diversion program, therapy or anger management.

Worth noting ... the victim has 18 months from the day of the incident (Feb. 10, 2018) to go to prosecutors and seek criminal charges before the statute of limitations expires.

TMZ Sports has obtained a police report filed by a man who claims he was brutally attacked by Kareem Hunt in a Kansas City nightclub back in January ... though Hunt was never arrested.

The accuser claims he was at Mosaic nightclub around 2 AM on January 7, 2018 -- hours after the Chiefs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans.

According to the police report, filed 4 days later on Jan. 11, the man says he saw his friend getting shoved by 3 men ... one of whom was George Atkinson, a running back for the Chiefs at the time.

The man claims he confronted Atkinson -- but the NFL player punched him in his shoulder. The man claims he fought back, but Atkinson and his crew (which included Kareem Hunt) beat the daylights out of him.

The man claims he was struck in his body and head multiple times and believes he was knocked unconscious. He told police he was treated at the North Kansas City Hospital emergency room for a broken rib, broken nose and multiple bruises and contusions.

Cops note in the report the accuser had cuts on his mouth at the time he filed his report.

The man told cops he did not want to file the report but his family members convinced him it was the right thing to do.

We spoke with the Kansas City PD -- and a rep says neither Hunt nor Atkinson were arrested and no charges were ever filed in the case.

Cops told us the victim stopped cooperating with investigators after filing the report -- so the case never went anywhere. Unclear why the man went off the grid.

We reached out to the alleged victim for comment but haven't been able to reach him.

It's a similar ending to the February incident involving Hunt -- when the victim initially told cops she wanted to press charges ... but also stopped cooperating.

The nightclub incident is the 3rd allegation of violence involving Hunt this year. In addition to the Feb. attack captured on video, Hunt was also accused of punching a man at an Ohio resort in June 2018.

Tom Brady couldn't help but laugh his ass off at seeing Bill Belichick cuss out Minnesota's star wide receiver on Sunday ... saying, "That was pretty funny."

During the Pats win over the Vikings ... Adam Thielen flipped out at Belichick for challenging a close spot in the 4th quarter -- to which The Hoodie replied, "Shut the f*ck up!"

Brady couldn't help but chuckle at the whole scene ... telling WEEI's "Mut & Callahan" show, "I’ve been on the other end of that a few times in my career."

"Pretty funny. … It’s competitive out there. It’s very feisty and everyone’s emotions are on their sleeves. You say something and there is just an emotional reaction. That was pretty funny.”

Of course ... Tom and Bill can laugh all they want now -- they ended up rollin' the Vikings and look poised to catch the Kareem Hunt-less Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC.

As for Minnesota -- their season's on the verge of crumbling ... but at least Thielen still looks like he's gonna be an All-Pro at the end of the year.

When Kareem Hunt allegedly punched a man in the face at a resort in Ohio 4 months after brutalizing a woman in Cleveland … the eye in the sky was NOT watching, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story … the ex-KC Chiefs star allegedly got into a violent altercation at the Put-in-Bay Resort in Ohio on June 3.

Days after the incident, sources told us Hunt punched the resort guest in the face after he had been partying all weekend long at the pool and DJ booth.

At the time, the alleged victim told us he did not plan on pressing charges.

Now, we’ve spoken to the owner of the resort who tells us the incident was NOT captured on surveillance cameras.

In other words, there’s no smoking gun like in the February incident.

Still, our sources tell us NFL investigators paid multiple visits to the resort in an effort to gather information and any possible video evidence.

We’re told the resort was cooperative with the NFL.

As for Hunt — who was not punished by the league — he insists he’s not the violent maniac seen in the video … and hopes to move on from the incident.

The woman Kareem Hunt slammed down and kicked was initially gung-ho to press charges against the then-NFL superstar, but she's since gone silent ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we first reported, the woman repeatedly told Cleveland PD officers who responded to the scene she wanted to press charges. In the bodycam video we posted, she asked to see the surveillance footage, and also asked the police to look at it.

She said she wanted Hunt prosecuted for the alleged assault and/or for stealing her phone's SIM card. In the attack video, you clearly see someone walk off with her phone. She says it was eventually returned but, apparently, without the SIM card.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the woman never took her demand for charges to the city Prosecutor's Office and hasn't cooperated with the Prosecutor -- and that might be why the case has gone nowhere.

We're told police viewed the incident as an alleged misdemeanor assault, because, to the best of their knowledge, the woman hadn't suffered any serious injury. She would need to present evidence of serious injury for the incident to upgraded to a felony.

It's a fact that prosecutors can charge suspects even without the alleged victim's testimony. However, our sources say that rarely happens in Cleveland ... unless it's a felony or a domestic violence case.

So, the question is ... WHY has she gone silent? We've reached out to her several times, but no reply.

Hunt was asked point blank Sunday morning, during his ESPN interview, if he'd had any contact with her and he denied it ... adding he "barely knew her."

We're told she has 18 months to press charges, so there's still time.

10:41 AM PT -- The NFL just put out a statement saying its investigation continues and "it will include a review of the new information that was made public on Friday -- which was not available to the NFL previously -- as well as further conversations with all parties involved in the incident."

It's interesting ... the league's saying it will have "further conversations" with everyone involved but Kareem straight-up said the NFL never spoke to him.

Kareem Hunt says the NFL's investigation of his alleged assault on a woman never included speaking to him about it ... and he says he thinks he deserves to play again in the league.

The ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back made his first public comments about the story TMZ Sports broke -- the video of Hunt shoving a woman to the ground and kicking her. Hunt told ESPN's Lisa Salters, he'd never seen the video until we published it ... and repeatedly claimed he's "not that type of person."

He said all the usual apology phrases -- "I regret the entire thing," and claimed he was going to get treatment for anger management. He has not yet. Mind you, the incident happened back in February.

As for what led up to his violent attack that night in the Cleveland hotel/residence where he lives ... Hunt would only say, "Honestly, it was just a long night. To be exact, it don't really matter ... I was in the wrong."

He claims he'd only met the woman once before and, "Honestly, I wanted her just to leave, but it's no excuse." Hunt says after seeing the video, "I thought of myself as being ... that's not me. I was raised better than that."

The biggest shocker was his claim the NFL never questioned him. Our NFL sources say the league opened an investigation back in February -- after the incident was first reported. It's shocking the league's investigation would NOT include speaking directly to Hunt.

As we first reported, we're told the league made multiple attempts to see the video we posted -- but the hotel/apartment building said it would only release it to law enforcement, and Cleveland PD also refused to give it to the league.

Ray Rice says Kareem Hunt's attack on a woman shouldn't be the moment that defines his life -- and now the ex-NFL running is offering to work with Hunt as he works through his issues.

Rice spoke with NFL.com and acknowledged the "obvious" similarities between Hunt's incident and Ray's 2014 elevator attack ... and feels he's in a position to teach Hunt how to learn from this situation and better himself.

"Peer-to-peer, I would definitely try to help him figure out, 'How can we start dealing with the underlying problems in your life?'" Rice said.

"Because he has a long life to live, this will be a defining moment, but it shouldn't be the moment that defines you. For me, I just see you have a long life to live and that doesn't mean just playing football -- you need to just live one day at a time."

Rice was asked if he could've given a message to Hunt BEFORE the hotel attack, what would have said to the running back.

"First, I would look at the situation and say, 'How did I even get in that moment?' Because whatever what was done in that moment, something transpired before it even got there."

The video of Kareem Hunt clearly attacking a woman is sparking a movement -- an angry, bitter outpouring of hatred ... toward TMZ.

Minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs made the decision to release Hunt ... we were flooded with emails calling us a**holes, pieces of s**t, blatant supporters of Tom Brady and many other not-so-pleasant things.

We pulled together some of the spicier responses here -- including one guy who broke up with his GF over the story.

For the record, TMZ Sports is covering Kareem Hunt because there's video of him -- a very famous NFL star -- striking a woman. A woman who went to police to report the assault. As we've reported, the case appears to be in limbo -- the Cleveland City Prosecutor is giving us a "no comment."

As for Hunt's on-field punishment? There'd been none until we published the video, and the Chiefs say he lied to them about the incident.

Point is ... the story's about something other than struggling fantasy football teams.

The woman who was attacked by Kareem Hunt repeatedly begged cops at the scene to view the hotel surveillance footage of the incident because she wanted to press charges ... but the officers told her it wasn't that simple.

You can see in police body cam footage obtained by TMZ Sports ... the woman was adamant she wanted to press charges against Hunt for the attack and allegedly stealing the SIM card from her phone.

She thought the best way to prove her allegations was for cops to go to the front desk of the hotel and ask the manager to show them the surveillance video.

But, cops told the woman they were stuck because the hotel is a "private facility" and "they don't have to show us unless they're ordered by a court."

The woman was disappointed but sounded serious about pursuing a case against Hunt anyway.

The responding officers eventually went upstairs and interviewed Hunt -- but he was never arrested and charges were never filed against him.

We know the hotel eventually turned over the surveillance video to investigators -- but we're not sure why prosecutors opted against filing a case considering what the video shows.

Kareem Hunt's immediate release from the Kansas City Chiefs is the team's way of sending a STRONG message to all players ... according to ESPN's Cari Champion.

Cari was at the Ebony Power 100 event in Bev Hills Friday night, very shortly after the Chiefs reacted to the video TMZ Sports published ... showing Hunt shove, kick and throw a woman to the ground during a February incident in Cleveland.

She says the video forced the team's hand and they were "sending a message ... they're saying what's important to them and what they stand for."

The NFL has Hunt on its "exempt list" currently -- meaning he can't practice or play in a game right now, but he has not been banned or suspended. Point is ... he could land on another team eventually.

Cari believes everyone, even Hunt, deserves a second chance -- however, she said he needs to "start looking at the man in the mirror. You gotta do a Michael Jackson."

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

Tech N9ne says Patrick Mahomes has been ballin' out so hard this season ... it's time for a new track about the Chiefs QB -- and he's giving TMZ Sports a sample of the chorus!!

Of course, the rapper is a ride-or-die K.C. fan who's stoked about the 9-2 start to this season.

But, Tech says he's SO fired up about it -- he's ready to get in the booth and hammer out a new track about the team's star QB.

The title? "Rollin' With MaHomies" ... and, gotta say, from the 3-second preview he gave us -- it sounds like it might be pretty legit.

Tech's made music about the Chiefs before ... remember "Wheels Like Hill" -- the banger about Tyreek Hill??

BTW ... in case there was any doubt -- Tech tells us he thinks Mahomes is the league's MVP ... and if the squad makes it to the Super Bowl, he's callin' dibs on the halftime show!