NFL star gets baptized, turns to religion after suspension for shoving, kicking woman in hotel

NFL running back Kareem Hunt, who is currently under suspension for abusing a woman in a hotel last year, has gotten baptized and embraced Christianity as a way to move forward from past mistakes, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Hunt, who previously played for the Kansas City Chiefs before being signed this offseason by the Cleveland Browns, was baptized at True Vine Baptist Church in Cleveland on Sunday.

"I'm looking forward so I can feel reborn," Hunt said.

How did he get to this point?

Hunt was one of the most productive players in the league, and at age 23 had a bright future as a star in the NFL.

But in November, a video showing Hunt pushing and kicking a woman during an altercation at a hotel in Cleveland was released to media, resulting in an eight-game suspension for Hunt and causing the Kansas City Chiefs to release him.

Hunt said he didn't watch the video at first, but when he did, it was hard to believe that it was him committing that horrible crime.

""I was like, 'Wow, it's pretty bad. That's not me,'" Hunt said, according to Fox News. "I didn't really watch the video for a long, long time."

Does he have the team's support?

Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey and head coach Freddie Kitchens both attended the baptism, a surprise to Hunt, as a way to show they cared about more than just his productivity as a football player.

"We care about Kareem as a person,'' Kitchens told the Plain-Dealer. "We went there for Kareem Hunt as the person and not the football player. I went to other baptisms, and I am sure John is the same way, other people's baptisms that they don't play football. The thing we did yesterday was not about football at all, it was about Kareem as the person."