According to a report by The Tennessean, Justin Hunter turned himself in to Virgina Beach police on Monday, where he was booked on a charge of “stabbing, cutting, wounding” with “malicious intent.”
By Cory Burrell
The incident occurred July 3 at the Sandbar Raw Bar where, according to a statement given by officer James Cason as told to The Virginian-Pilot, police broke up a large brawl. One person was later taken to the hospital with “serious but not life-threatening” injuries, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department spokesperson as reported on by NFL.com.
Hunter, a player the Titans expected to have a breakout year, instead gave a fairly quiet performance on the field of 498 yards and three touchdowns, the fourth- and third-most on the team respectively. He missed the final four games of the season after suffering a lacerated spleen injury.
Hunter’s issues off-the-field may create an opportunity for rookie teammate and fellow wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. Green-Beckham shares quite a bit in common with Hunter: Both were drafted by the Titans in the second round (Hunter was the 34th pick of the 2013 draft, while Green-Beckham was taken with the 40th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft), and both were star wide receiver in college known for their athletic frames (Hunter is listed as 6’4” and 203 lbs, while Beckham-Green lists at 6’5” and 237 lbs.) and playmaking abilities. Optimum Scouting had Beckham-Green as the 14th-best wide receiver in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Green-Beckham is unfortunately not a stranger to criminal charges and other off-the-field problems. Green-Beckham attended and played football for the University of Missouri as a freshman and sophomore, but was arrested on two separate occasions for marijuana possession and eventually dismissed from the team following the 2013 season after he was investigated (but not charged) for pushing a woman down several flights of stairs. Green-Beckham said in a statement that he accepted “responsibility for [his] conduct and [his] mistakes.”
“I am not looking for sympathy,” Green-Beckham said. “I thank those who have given me concern. I have been young and dumb. I want to be better. During my suspension I’m entering counseling. With help, I know I can be stronger emotionally and spiritually.”
Green-Beckham’s dismal from Missouri effectively ended his collegiate football career. Although he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in 2014, Green-Beckham was ineligible to play for Oklahoma for a year because of NCAA transfer rules. Instead of playing in college in 2015, Green-Beckham declared for the NFL draft. In two seasons with Missouri, Green-Beckham totaled 87 receptions, 1278 yards, and 17 touchdowns, 12 which came in his sophomore year.
Last month, a report from ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” on college athletes and criminal charges mentioned Green-Beckham in a violent incident in 2012, more than a year before the previous event that led to his dismal. In this incident, according to ESPN and The Kansas City Star, Green-Beckham pushed a woman against a door frame several times and cursed at her for telling his girlfriend he was cheating on her. While police said there was “not enough evidence to support charging Green-Beckham,” the victim later said she believed witnesses lied to cover for Green-Beckham.
During a May 1st conference call Green-Beckham gave after being drafted, Green-Beckham said he has learned from his mistakes and aims to “put good people” around him and put himself in “better situations.”
“It was because I was picking the wrong people to be around,” Green-Beckham said. “But I know now I am putting great people in my circle that’s going to be there to protect me.
During the same conference call, Green-Beckham also denied pushing a woman down stairs and said his story was mispotrayed by media outlets.
“Nobody had my story…nobody know what really happened,” Green-Beckham said. ” They only had one person’s story…Those not taking my story put a bad vibe on me…Yeah, they believe this girl and other things, they think I am bad person, but they don’t know what really happened.”
Tennessee is in desperate need of a boost to their passing game. Defenses rarely feared the Titans from the air last season; they finished the season 22nd and 23rd in passing yards and passing touchdowns respectively.
Part of the reason for the Titan’s disappointing offense stemmed from its quarterback situation. Tennessee gave three quarterbacks roughly equal time in 2014, with performances that ranged from middling to well-below average: Charlie Whitehurst, a 32-year-old career backup who received more starts last season than he had in his previous eight NFL seasons combined, Zach Mettenberger, a 23-year-old sixth-round pick from the 2014 draft, and Jake Locker, a 26-year-old 2011 first-round pick (eighth pick overall). Locker was once expected to be the future of the franchise, but after battling with concussions and other injuries in his four seasons in the NFL, Locker retired during the offseason this year.
The Titans used their first-round pick in 2015 on Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota, hoping the talented Oregon product would give them a franchise quarterback for years to come.
If Hunter misses significant time on the field this season (or if the Titans decide to cut him altogether), Green-Beckham may get a chance to shine in his rookie season. If Green-Beckham can put his past troubles behind him for good, he and Mariota have a chance to form the dynamite connection the Titan’s lackluster offense sorely needs.
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