AP

Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce both grew up in the Cleveland area. They were teammates in Kansas City for 27 games and have remained in touch since the Chiefs waived the running back last season.

Kelce will miss Hunt. He also will root for Hunt.

And Kelce expects Hunt to be the same player he was in Kansas City when he won the rushing title in 2017 and ran for 824 yards in 11 games last season.

“He’s an unbelievable player,” Kelce said before Jarvis Landry‘s celebrity softball game in Eastlake, Ohio, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “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.”

The Chiefs cut Hunt after a video surfaced showing Hunt showing and kicking a woman. The Browns signed him in February, but Hunt will have to serve an eight-game suspension before he makes his Cleveland debut.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield talked to Kelce and Patrick Mahomes about Hunt, Kelce said Saturday.

“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.”