NFL

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."

The Redskins blackballed Colin Kaepernick for political reasons -- and the Reuben Foster signing proves that -- so says ex-NFL exec Joe Banner.

Washington reportedly passed on Kap because of the worry of distractions he'd bring to the team ... but then signed Foster -- an LB accused of domestic violence -- just days later.

Banner -- a former Eagles president and Browns CEO -- says he doesn't see how that's logical ... and tells TMZ Sports it's clear the 'Skins didn't want Kap because of his political beliefs.

"It clearly means the Redskins are blackballing Colin, and I think they're doing it for political reasons," Joe says.

"The team happens to be run by two guys that have been very clear in their politics in Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder, and it's clearly not a good political fit."

Joe says that's crazy to him as a former NFL personnel exec ... saying if he were a current player on the 'Skins -- he'd be pretty ticked off.

"I just don't see how you can look at your team, who's been working here since last July and use that as an explanation to not try to be the best you can be at the moment."

Banner added of Colin, "Yeah, he'll bring some media focus on the team and so on and so forth, but small price to pay, especially since you've already indicated for the right situation you're willing to pay it."

Banner -- who was part of the Eagles team that brought in Michael Vick after his prison sentence -- says if he were still in a front office, Kaep would have a job on his squad.

As for Foster ... Joe couldn't say the same -- telling us the allegations against the LB are just "too egregious."

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

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson says he's "really f*cking upset" with Kareem Hunt -- saying the young NFL star should have learned lessons from the terrible mistakes LJ made.

Remember, Johnson -- who was a great running back for the Chiefs back in the day -- had several issues with violence toward women during his NFL career ... and has openly talked about how he regrets the choices he made.

So, when he saw the TMZ Sports video showing Hunt attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February ... Johnson lashed out.

"I thought I made my mistakes painfully clear!!!! I thought I was a perfect example of what NOT to do!!!!"

"I thought by speaking aloud about my pitfalls that players after me could see these situations before they’d happen. REALLY F*CKING UPSET KAREEM."

Back in 2003 -- the same year LJ was a 1st-round pick in the NFL Draft -- Johnson was arrested for waving a gun at his then-girlfriend.

He was arrested again in 2005 and 2008 for allegedly getting violent with women and in 2012 he was convicted in a case where he strangled a woman in a Vegas hotel.

Jamie Foxx was FEEEEEEEEEELLLLIIINNNN' himself after the Cowboys beat the Saints ... 'cause dude broke out ALL his Dallas jerseys and had a dance party in his living room!!

The 'Boys scored a massive win over New Orleans on Thursday night in a game nobody predicted them to win ... and Foxx turned up like they just earned the Lombardi Trophy.

Jamie -- rockin' an Emmitt Smith throwback -- threw down some epic dance moves to "We Dem Boyz" ... and then started the trash talk.

"I told y'all! Don't ever go against us! We them boys! I told y'all, them Saints was going to be turning into Aints today! I told ya!"

Jamie then took aim at ESPN personality and noted Cowboys hater Stephen A. Smith, saying, "First of all, you have to understand that the Cowboys are America's Team, and now you understand why!"

Jamie's got every right to be happy ... the win was pretty dope -- but nobody tell him Dallas is just one game away from being out of the current playoff picture.

Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett will remain husband and wife just a little longer thanks to a mess up on their part in filing their divorce docs.

The estranged couple filed their final divorce settlement to the court on October 29, thinking that was the end-all for their marriage. However, that wasn't the case ... and the settlement was rejected by the court on Wednesday.

As for why it was turned down ... according to docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the couple entered the wrong jurisdiction date on their divorce docs and also forgot to check a box on another section of the papers.

TMZ broke the story ... it was back in April when Kendra filed for divorce from her husband of 9 years. The two have two children together.

Just prior to the divorce filing, Kendra posted an emotional video of herself breaking down confirming the couple was on the outs ... and that she was scared for what was to come.

Unfortunately for Kendra, she's gotta stick it out just a little bit longer.

This is one of the best videos you'll see today ... Cleveland Browns star Nick Chubb surprised one of his biggest fans in the hospital this week ... and the kid completely freaked out!!

10-year-old Georgia Bulldogs superfan Luke Clayton has benign rolandic epilepsy and is currently at the Cleveland Clinic prepping for brain surgery.

The 22-year-old rookie RB took time out of his Tuesday to meet up with Luke ... and when he walked into the hospital room, Luke could hardly believe his eyes.

"Oh my gosh!!!! I never thought this would happen!!! This is crazy," Luke says

Chubb's been awesome to watch this season with more than 650 yards and 6 TDs. But, this right here's the real highlight.

Ex-NFL star Jared Allen says his new career as a pro curler -- the ice sport -- is NOT a joke ... and it all began after making a stupid bet with some buddies.

After Allen retired from football in 2016, the future Hall of Famer still had a burning desire to play sports -- so he tried to be a pro golfer, but quickly realized he's no Tiger Woods.

That's when he made a bet with a friend that he could become an Olympian -- and after watching the movie "Eddie the Eagle" ... he got serious about finding the right sport for him.

First, it was badminton ... Allen tells TMZ Sports he called up his good buddy and fellow NFL alum Marc Bulger, but they decided the sport was too tough on their bodies.

That's when they moved on to curling -- which is basically shuffleboard on ice -- and decided that was the place where they'd strike!

Since that day, Allen recruited a few other NFL friends including Pro Bowl linebacker Keith Bulluck and Pro Bowl tackle Michael Roos ... and they started a curling team.

Now, they're REALLY competing against other elite curling teams and Jared says they're dead serious about making it to the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

In fact, Jared says they've hired a sweeping coach and train on the ice at least 2 hours a week.

"You have to sweep a lot," Allen says ... "I've been known for my cardio, sweeping is frickin' tough!"

So, what's the hardest part of the game for Jared?

"You're really not supposed to talk trash ... so that's gonna be hard for me."

Baker Mayfield's H.S. coach is going to bat for his ex-QB after the Browns superstar torched Hue Jackson ... saying Baker was just doing what he thought was best for his team.

Of course ... Mayfield's been met with a lot of critics after he went scorched earth on his former head coach THREE separate times, accusing Hue of being "fake" for joining the Bengals.

Hank Carter -- Baker's old coach at Lake Travis H.S. in Texas -- tells TMZ Sports Mayfield's comments were just his way of standing up for his Cleveland teammates.

"Baker loves his team and loves that coaching staff there and they believe in one another, and I think that's what it is -- it's showing support for the Browns is what he was trying to do."

Guys like Jim Brown and Deion Sanders have disagreed with Baker's response to the whole feud ... but Hank says they've just got to get used to Mayfield's straight-shooting approach.

"Different people maybe don't like how that's come out but, yeah, Baker's never really worried about that. He's trying to do what's best for his football team."

Bottom line ... if Baker didn't think Hue hurt his football team, the beef would've never gone down.

Steve Weatherford is a MONSTER!!!

Check out the former NFL punter on vacation in the Maldives -- reminding everyone why you shouldn't skip leg day ... or ab day ... or arm day ... or chest day.

This is insane.

Weatherford was always a gym rat during his 9-year NFL career -- but he's clearly bulked up since hanging up the helmet and shoulder pads.

The 35-year-old Super Bowl champion has focused on bodybuilding and even made the cover of Muscle and Fitness as a "fitness icon." His workout brand "Weatherford Fit" has also taken off in a big way.

His wife, Laura Weatherford, is also a fitness nut who's in crazy good shape even after giving birth to 5 kids!

Kyler Murray's making the right call picking baseball over football ... so says Dave Winfield, who made the same choice more than 40 years ago and had things work out PRETTY well.

Of course ... D.W. is one of only six dudes to ever be drafted by THREE different pro sports -- but he chose the diamond over them all -- and says he's glad Kyler's doing the same.

"It's pretty intelligent to play baseball," the MLB Hall of Famer tells us ... "You don't get hurt as much."

Murray's a superstar QB at Oklahoma who some think could be the NFL's next Lamar Jackson ... but the kid was also drafted in the first round by the Oakland A's last summer.

Kyler says his plan -- as of now -- is to hang up the football cleats for the baseball diamond ... and Dave says that's a great call.

"Any football players you know play 22 years!?"

Baker Mayfield didn't regret torching Hue Jackson after Sunday's game ... he didn't regret doing it again on Monday ... and he DEFINITELY didn't regret doing it a third time Wednesday.

The QB has been SUPER pissed since his ex-coach bolted for the Bengals -- refusing to hug the guy after their game Sunday and then blasting him as "fake" on social media a day later.

Baker was given a chance to walk back his comments Wednesday ... but dude TRIPLED DOWN on his Hue hate, saying, "I get to have my own opinion on how it transpired and he gets to do what he wants. That's how it is."

"I didn't like the move and people don't have to care. I'm not looking for anybody's approval. I don't regret any of it."

Of course ... Mayfield's issue is that Hue preached team and unity throughout his stay as Browns coach -- but then took the first opening available with the team's division rival just days later.

Some, like Cleveland legend Jim Brown, refuse to blame the guy for making the move ... but Baker's still clearly ticked about it.

And ... if you're upset about Baker's hot take -- the QB had a message for you, too, on Wednesday.

"I'm not a cookie-cutter quarterback. I never have been, I never will be. I speak my mind, that's just how I am."