Kareem Hunt went unclaimed by the NFL's 4 p.m. ET waivers deadline Monday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that several teams considered claiming Hunt, but decided not to make the move.
Source: Former #Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt was officially unclaimed off waivers. He’s a free agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 3, 2018
The second-year running back now becomes a free agent, but questions about his future in the league remain unanswered.
Hunt was released by the Chiefs on Friday, after TMZ published a video of him assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel hallway in February. The NFL has been investigating the incident since that time, and he is currently on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List. The Chiefs had been aware of the incident, but said Hunt lied to them by minimizing his actions.
According to Rapoport, league sources say Hunt faces more than the baseline six-game suspension for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Further complicating the situation, the NFL is also investigating an incident in June involving Hunt allegedly punching a man in the face at an Ohio resort. Rapoport notes the NFL is thought to have enough evidence from that incident to add to Hunt's suspension. Given that, Hunt's punishment could carry over well into next season.
Although Hunt apologized for the Cleveland incident, saying "I'm extremely embarrassed because of that video," that matters little in today's climate of zero tolerance for domestic violence. Any team that would sign him would face an immediate and fierce public relations backlash. Many observers expect that Hunt's talent will entice a team to give him a second chance, but given all that has unfolded in the past 72 hours, claiming him on waivers Monday would have been too soon.