Cleveland authorities investigating how NFL obtained Hunt's police report

The Cleveland Division of Police has launched an internal investigation into how the department responded to the February incident involving former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein.

The police announced the investigation Wednesday evening, stating that part of the probe involves looking into how the NFL obtained Hunt's police report without officially filing a records request.

"Following an internal review, it has been determined that in February 2018 a member of the Cleveland Division of Police provided a copy of the police report involving the Feb.10, 2018 assault incident at The 9 to a representative from the National Football League," the department said in a statement. "The report did not go through the official public records request process."

It was originally reported that the league did not file an official request for the records until Nov. 30, the day the video was released. In response to the report, the NFL said that it obtained documents prepared by the officers who responded to the incident.

"In addition, NFL representatives also made requests for surveillance video to the hotel property," NFL vice president of communications Brian McCarthy said. "We also obtained and reviewed the material developed by the police, which included the written reports prepared by the officers who responded to the incident, and later the interviews that were recorded by body cams and the recordings of the 911 calls."

Hunt was waived by the Chiefs on Nov. 30 after video surfaced which showed him kicking and shoving a woman in February.