Travis Kelce couldn't help but miss his former teammate during his visit to their hometown this weekend.
While speaking before Jarvis Landry’s celebrity softball game at Classic Park in Cleveland on Saturday, the Chiefs tight end discussed Kareem Hunt and how he believes the Browns will get the best version of the running back when he returns from his ban.
"I think so, without a doubt," Kelce told reporters (via cleveland.com). "Me and Kareem have been good friends ever since he got to Kansas City. Another fellow Clevelander. He’s a northeast Ohio guy. I think you guys are getting an unbelievable athlete, somebody that can change the game with one or two carries, one or two touches and really give you a chance to win.
"He’s an unbelievable player. It ripped our hearts out when he got released from Kansas City, but to see him get another chance, I would hope and I would think he’s going to make the absolute most of it."
Kelce and Hunt grew up on opposite sides of Cleveland and went on to play together for nearly two seasons in Kansas City before Hunt was released by the Chiefs in November after a video surfaced of him shoving and kicking a woman in the hallway of a Cleveland hotel in February 2018.
Hunt got a second chance when he signed with the Browns in February and was later suspended for the first eight games of this season in March for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Despite everything that's happened, Kelce still stands by Hunt.
"The biggest thing was as much as you try to stay away from the actual situation that happened, Kareem has been nothing but a good friend and a good teammate," Kelce said.
"He’s been in the community trying to make a difference in other people’s lives. That’s what’s real. Everyone has things that go wrong in their lives. It’s how you come out of those situations that determine your true character. I think I’ll just leave it as that. What we said is true. Kareem, I hope he makes the best of his situation."
As for Kelce, he underwent ankle surgery this offseason but is expected to be a full-go when training camp opens next month.
"It’s been a little frustrating," Kelce told Arrowhead Pride’s "From The Podium" podcast on Wednesday. "I want to get out there and mesh with everyone and teach, have fun and get better. But right now, just getting healthy is the main thing, and I think we’re there. I think by the time training camp comes around, I’ll be 100 percent."