Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes comments on 'grown up' Kareem Hunt are hard to believe

I do not know Kareem Hunt personally. I also believe people can change over time, if given the right resources and education regarding their previous mistakes. While we all do dumb things when we are young, few can compete with the violence and vitriol Hunt treated his partner with at the time. Those are the facts.

Just six years ago, video surfaced of Hunt kicking and shoving a woman outside of his place of residence. He was suspended as a result, and eventually let go by the Chiefs after he was not truthful with them about the events that transpired that fateful night in his Cleveland residence. Hunt signed with the Browns and revived his NFL career as part of a 1-2 punch with Nick Chubb.

The Chiefs, in desperate need of running back help due to a fractured leg suffered by starter Isiah Pacheco, signed Hunt to their practice squad. He is a familiar face who knows their blocking scheme. The fit makes sense for football reasons, and football reasons alone.

Chiefs claim Kareem Hunt has improved as a person, but provide few reasons why

However, the Chiefs hope to win in the court of public opinion, not just on the football field. Rather than focusing on the real reason they brought Hunt back -- running back depth -- they've tried to paint the narrative of a young man who deserves a second chance.

"We just thought he needed a change of scenery and get some help and take care of business there and we felt like he did that," Andy Reid said. "He did a nice job in Cleveland and we talked to the people there and there were no issues there, so we felt OK by bringing him back. ... It looks like he's grown up."

Patrick Mahomes doubled down on this talking point, saying he's stayed in touch with Hunt through the years. Mahomes thinks Hunt has earned this opportunity with the work he's put in off the field to become a better person.

"Everybody has friends that make mistakes -- obviously some are bigger than others -- but, at the same time, you want to make the person better," Mahomes said. "You want to see them taking the right steps to become a better person for themselves, their family and the rest of society. And so, I think you've seen that with Kareem, and so I've stayed in touch with him just to see how he's doing, how his family's doing, everything like that."

Kareem Hunt improves the Chiefs backfield exponentially

Again, I do not know Hunt personally, but the Chiefs owe their fanbase some answers. Specifically, what work has Hunt put in to become a better person and improve off the field? If what they are saying is true -- that they re-signed Hunt because of his own personal strides -- they ought to have some examples to point to, rather than mere talking points.

For now, the optics look obvious. Hunt is a talented football player and the Chiefs needed a running back familiar with their scheme. If that's their reasoning for bringing Hunt back, that's fine. But let's not hide from that facts, please.