The Clark Hunt Episode

I can't help but add a few final thoughts about the Kareem Hunt situation that blasted us this weekend. Today all the NFL pundits had their back-to-the-work-week remarks about it, yet I saw very few of them. I did speak with a colleague at work about it, someone with whom I sometimes talk pro football. He knows I'm a Chiefs fan.

He said Kareem gave an interview on ESPN, one which I did not watch and do not intend to. He gave it an "F," his take that Hunt was being insincere and only offering up the expected mea culpa because he had to. I'm sure that's what the show was all about. These kinds of things usually are and again why I don't pay any attention to sports things as much as I possibly can. That stuff just nauseates me.

All the things I considered when I wrote this, and a bit later this, are still things I do still feel quite strongly about. But I will add this post, one which covers a lot more of the positive things I'm beginning to feel about all this. Yes, I will feel extraordinarily disappointed if I see Hunt show up on another team and help them with winning things for years and years. But that's for another day.

As it is I'm hearing that just about everyone on the planet is expressing enormous respect for what Clark Hunt and the Chiefs did in dismissing Hunt and doing it so forthrightly. It wasn't just a matter of Kareem lying to the Chiefs but lying to them so brazenly and keeping the lie going for the length of time that he did. It was also the fact that apparently the reason Hunt accosted this woman was because she wouldn't put out for one of his friends. This, to me, is just as reprehensible. If Kareem Hunt has that kind of character, I do not want him on my team.

Do many other NFL players treat women and sexuality with such disrespect? Of course they do, and why again I still stand by my prominent claim that the NFL should be way more attuned to nourishing and upholding integrity and righteousness among its stakeholders, something Roger Goodell has demonstrated he is ill-equipped to do. (In fact, here is something I just came across. Hmm, how about that -- I'm not the only one...)

For one thing I want to emphasize that I know all of this is just a game. I confess I let my Chiefs passion get in the way far too much. I've said before that there is a part of me that feels, "I don't care if he should be in prison for a capital crime I hope he scores 100 touchdowns." I am also well aware of my enjoyment of a game that itself is violent -- could that be considered quite hypocritical? Sure.

On the other hand men need to get out and just wrestle, they just do. It's in their nature. Football is a terrific outlet for that. Will they get injured in very unsavory ways? Yeah, of course, but we revel in the challenge. I'm so good with all the ways the NFL could make the game safer in that area, I'm great with that. Get me on board with the most vigorous lobbying for those things. I've always done so here in this blog effort.

As for the key positives, the first is that Clark Hunt must be commended for summarily taking care of business now. One of the items that softens the blow of his failures in February was that he did undertake the proper due diligence at that time, and the recent revelations were things he could not have known about. In the sense that much of what we do has a supernatural element to it, maybe Clark's courageous probity will make The Thing Hunt something that is a blessing for the Chiefs Kingdom. That would be wonderful.

Another relates to a brief anecdote I'd like to share here.

As you may know I'm also a big San Francisco Giants fan. Back in 2012 the team picked up a fine player, Melky Cabrera, and he was knocking the socks off the baseball. He not only made the NL All-Star team but was the game's MVP. With him in the lineup we were cruising to a division title.

Suddenly he was suspended for 50 games because of a performance enhancement drug violation. Oh wow. We are toast now. The whole season is now right in the crapper. I thought, okay, 50 games, no big deal, he'll come back by the playoffs and we'll be fine. Okay, whew...

Except, guess what the Giants did? They unloaded him. Gone. Outta there. Never to don a Giants uniform again. And then, do you know what happened?

The Giants still won the World Series.

I share this because this is precisely what I thought about when the Chiefs jettisoned Hunt. Right now I wonder -- could the same thing end up happening for the Chiefs? That would be awesome.

Yes I still do think we could have played better against a weak Oakland team. Yes I still fear for what we face in the next three games against very good Baltimore, San Diego, and Seattle teams.

But because of what Clark did I'm beginning to think that the team knows how much Clark respects the players, coaches, front office staff, and the Kingdom enough to richly encourage them to keep working hard for the cause.

Some of the little that I've heard is that the Chiefs are looking around for that extra back to bring in. It may not even be a veteran but a younger player who may be a good fit. That's another positive, that Brett Veach has shown he can get that guy. Trust the process. Clark knew we really didn't need someone who could be a distraction, especially one that could poison the Kingdom, but he also had enough confidence in his fine young GM to take care of the football business. I too believe he will.

Finally, even with Patrick Mahomes' overthrows and Tyreek Hill's drops Sunday against the Raiders, we still put up 40 and won. The best part was that Spencer Ware, Damien Williams, and the offensive line played splendidly. Here's to the very best of the Chiefs Kingdom shining through this episode and maybe, maybe even as a result of the principled stance the Chiefs took, we can actually enjoy a really nice winning playoff run.
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