NFL never interviewed Kareem Hunt during domestic violence investigation

The NFL’s investigation into an incident in which former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt kicked and shoved a woman at a hotel in February did not include speaking to Hunt, he told ESPN's Lisa Salters on Sunday in a live interview.

ESPN first reported in a story published Sunday morning that Hunt did not get interviewed by the NFL.

When asked by Salters, "Has the NFL ever questioned you about that incident?" Hunt responded, "No, they have not."

Salters followed up by asking, "Did they ever ask you to talk about that incident?" Hunt said, "No, they have not."

TMZ first posted the video of the incident Friday night. It included surveillance footage of Hunt beating the woman in the hallway of The Metropolitan at the 9 hotel. The video shows several people trying to separate Hunt and the woman, who at one point swatted Hunt in the face.

The NFL didn’t see the video until it was made public despite multiple attempts to secure the footage from the company that runs hotel and the Cleveland police, a person with knowledge of the efforts told USA TODAY Sports. The person request anonymity because of details of the investigation have not been made public.

The same person told USA TODAY Sports the alleged victims in the case did not respond to the NFL’s attempt to gather more information about the incident.

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According to a statement from the Chiefs on Friday night, members of their management team spoke to Hunt about the incident initially. The video proved Hunt was “not truthful in those discussions,” prompting his release Friday. The league also placed him on the commissioner’s exempt list.

According to The Athletic, which cited multiple league sources, the Chiefs knew video evidence of the altercation existed, but they were told by the NFL to stop pursuing it later in February once the league began its investigation.

"Honestly, I just want to let the world know how sorry I am for my actions," Hunt told Salters. "It’s been a tough time for me. I'm extremely embarrassed because of that video."

USA TODAY Sports does not name victims of violence.

Contributing: A.J. Perez