December is a critical time in the football calendar as college and professional teams start to wrap up their regular seasons, and some look ahead to bowl games and championship playoffs. Darren Roberts, director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation, says UT’s spot in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day will bring the team millions of dollars, and attract high-school recruits.
But Roberts says other teams are facing controversy. The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs cut running back Kareem Hunt Friday after TMZ released a video of him assaulting a woman. Roberts says that the NFL and the Chiefs knew of the incident, which happened in February, prior to the video’s release, and that it reminded him of what happened with Baltimore Ravens football player Ray Rice in 2014.
“The fact that an outlet like TMZ has effectively scooped the National Football League twice on very visible cases is somewhat troubling,” Roberts says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– Why the Chiefs’ decision to release Hunt could be a turning point in the NFL
– The possible length of Kareem Hunt’s suspension from playing for any NFL team
– How postseason bowl games bring money and visibility to well-performing college teams
Written by Alexia Puente.