NFL

Jason Whitlock says there's only one way for Kareem Hunt to make it back to the NFL ... and he's giving TMZ Sports the blueprint.

"If he goes out and makes an earnest attempt to get the proper help, and continues to stay humble and contrite, makes amends with the victim -- yeah, I think he gets another shot in the NFL."

Of course ... Kareem's got a long way to go to even start down that road -- the league is mulling a huge suspension for the former Chiefs RB after TMZ Sports posted footage of him attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel.

But, once Hunt gets through that ban ... Whitlock says he's got no problem with an NFL team picking the 23-year-old up -- IF the RB gets help and shows contrition.

"I wouldn't object to that."

The host of FS1's "Speak for Yourself" also tells us why everyone needs to ease up on the NFL when it comes to policing domestic violence ... saying it shouldn't be the league's job.

"We're holding the NFL to a standard that I think is unfair. We keep beating up the NFL, 'They don't understand how to deal with domestic violence,' but the police don't either!"

Whitlock says it's time to start thinking of the NFL as what he says it actually is -- a television show.

Michael Vick says the only way Kareem Hunt can get back to the NFL is if he gets serious help ... and the ex-QB tells TMZ Sports he's willing to be a part of that whole process.

"He can always reach out to me, I'm going to give him positive advice," Vick says ... "I didn't condone what he did, I'm against that -- but he's gotta learn from the situation."

Of course ... Vick knows all about what it takes to go from exiled to NFL superstardom -- he came back to the league after serving 19 months in prison for illegal dogfighting.

Vick says it was help from others that paved that whole road for him ... and now he's urging Hunt to find the same thing.

"You gotta get help. That's what I did. I got help. People helped me in my situation. He gotta get help, and that's what's most important."

Vick's advice for Hunt on where to start that journey?

"Anger management. Learn to control it."

Mike says the NFL is a second-chance league ... and says Kareem can latch back on if he does all the right things -- but admits he'd still pause at the idea of bringing the RB aboard his team.

"If I'm a CEO, I'll bring my daughters in and let them ask the questions. I mean, for real," Vick tells us.

Cleveland prosecutors have stonewalled TMZ Sports for days, refusing to answer a pretty simple question — what's the logic behind not prosecuting Kareem Hunt for brutalizing a woman?

The video of the incident is the kind of smoking gun prosecutors rarely get ... showing the former Kansas City Chiefs running back shoving and kicking a woman. We’ve made multiple calls to the Cleveland City Prosecutor's Office, asking for an explanation for passing on the case. We got nothing.

A law enforcement source in Cleveland told TMZ Sports the decision not to prosecute was rooted in the fact the victim refused to testify. Fact is, prosecutors commonly file charges in cases where the victim won't testify, if there's additional evidence to prove the charges. Like this one ... where there's video and other eyewitnesses besides the victim.

Think about it ... if prosecutors turn a blind eye just because a victim doesn’t testify, not a single murder case would ever be filed. That’s the absurd logical extension of such a legal standard.

The Hunt case is way more compelling to prosecute than most cases involving men who assault women, because most boil down to “he said/she said.” Here, there’s video ... video of Hunt kicking a defenseless woman. Yet charges were never filed.

The bigger picture ... there’s a much larger issue way beyond Hunt.

Cleveland's City Prosecutor's Office is sending a dangerous signal to the community: that men who assault women can brutalize without consequences, even when the evidence is overwhelming.

Sean Smith was sad to learn Brandon Browner will spend the next 8 years behind bars ... 'cause Smith says the guy helped him when the 2 were in jail -- and the place was awful.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Browner pled no contest to attempted murder Tuesday -- and was sentenced to 8 years in state prison.

When Smith -- an ex-NFL DB who did time in an LA jail with Browner over the summer -- saw the news ... he was heartbroken for the former Seahawk, saying time behind bars ain't a joke.

"Jus seen some news about my dawg B Browner smh," Smith wrote on social media.

"It’s crazy how I was JUST in there with him. He for sure helped me get thru the last few months in that hell hole. Jail is for animals."

Smith just got out in August roughly 5 months into his 12-month sentence for assaulting his sister's boyfriend during a July 4, 2017 incident in Pasadena, CA.

He says his time behind bars sucked ... and he hopes Browner's close friends stay by him to help through the sentence like Brandon did for him over the summer.

Brandon Browner was just sentenced to 8 years in state prison after pleading no contest to attempted murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The former Seattle Seahawks star -- an original member of the famed Legion of Boom defense -- was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's apartment in La Verne, CA on July 8 and allegedly chased her, dragged her and then smothered her in a carpet.

Her two children were present when the alleged abuse occurred.

Browner was also accused of stealing the woman's Rolex watch. He fled the residence but was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and faced life in prison.

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old appeared in court where he pled no contest to 1 count of attempted murder and 2 counts of willful child endangerment. In exchange, the remaining charges (robbery, burglary and false imprisonment) were dropped.

Browner was immediately remanded into custody during the hearing and is back behind bars.

Browner got credit for 300 days for good behavior during the time he's spent behind bars so far. He's been in custody since the arrest back in July.

Browner is a former Pro Bowl cornerback. He won one Super Bowl with the Seahawks and one with the Patriots.

Good news, Colin Kaepernick fans: Jay Gruden says the Redskins are seriously considering signing the QB!!!

Bad news, Colin Kaepernick fans: Jay Gruden says they likely won't.

Just a day after losing their SECOND starting QB in less than a month ... Washington's coach says the team has discussed inking Kaep -- but then revealed they probably won't.

"[There's] not a lot of time to get a brand new QB and a system installed and taught in a couple days," Gruden said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

"He's been talked about and discussed, but we'll probably go in a different direction."

Of course ... the 'Skins lost Alex Smith to a gruesome injury back on Nov. 18 -- but passed on signing Kaepernick the following week in favor of adding Mark Sanchez.

But ... on "Monday Night Football" -- the Redskins lost yet another starter when Colt McCoy broke his fibula -- and now say Kaepernick's back in play.

Gruden says the team will have a workout with QBs later this afternoon ... though it's unclear if Kaepernick will be a part of those.

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."

Jason Witten was downright PISSED the Redskins claimed Reuben Foster after TWO allegations of domestic violence ... saying, Washington "used horrendous judgment in claiming this guy."

It all went down in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' blowout win over the 'Skins on Monday night ... when Witten was asked on the telecast for his take on the Foster signing.

The ex-Cowboys tight end didn't hold back ...

"I believe the Washington Redskins used horrendous judgment in claiming this guy," Witten said ... "I understand that it's an ongoing investigation."

"But, my family has been affected by domestic violence. I understand the anguish that it causes. Young players just have to understand that there is no tolerance for putting your hands on a woman. Period."

The cause hits close to home for Witten ... his family was impacted by D.V. when he was a child -- and he now has a foundation that serves women and families that have experienced it.

Of course ... Witten opened himself up for criticism -- 'cause he didn't have as strong of takes on ex-Dallas teammates Greg Hardy and Ezekiel Elliott when they faced similar accusations.

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.

Troy Aikman just went off on a reporter accusing him of being "cliche" for defending Mike McCarthy ... clapping back at the guy and saying, "Is that cliche enough for ya?!"

The legendary QB stood up for the ex-Packers head man after he was canned following a loss to the lowly Cardinals on Sunday, saying, "Mike McCarthy deserves better."

Enter Gerry Callahan -- one half of the famous WEEI Mut & Callahan show ... who hated Aikman's take so much, he scorched him on social media.

"Troy Aikman, cliche machine, says Mike McCarthy deserved better," Callahan wrote.

"McCarthy was head coach in Green Bay for 13 years. He won one Super Bowl. How long did he deserve, Troy? Fourteen years? Twenty?"

Didn't take long for Troy to respond ...

"Two losing seasons in 12 years (one of those last year without Rodgers for 9 games); took the Packers to the playoffs in 9 of the last 11 seasons; 4 NFC Championship Games, 1 Super Bowl title."

"Yes Gerry, he deserved better than to be fired mid-season. Is that cliche enough for ya"

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.

Not everyone wants to cancel Kareem Hunt -- Ryan Leaf tells TMZ Sports he hopes NFL teams and fans will give the guy a second chance ... if Hunt takes the steps to turn his life around.

"I mean this country is all about second chances," Leaf told us ... "Look at me."

After being selected with the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Leaf's life fell apart -- he was arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary.

But, Leaf got help, sobered up and got his life back on track -- he now hosts a sports talk show on SiriusXM.

Leaf says if Hunt can focus on taking positive, healthy steps at bettering himself ... he really hopes the running back can play pro football again.

Still, Leaf is not minimizing Hunt's actions.

"Playing in the NFL, it's a privilege, it's not a right. And, there's consequences to your actions and you always have control over that."

So, what should Hunt be doing during his time away from the league?

"Just working on himself. That's the only thing you can do. You can't control what anybody else does."

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.