Not everyone wants to cancel Kareem Hunt -- Ryan Leaf tells TMZ Sports he hopes NFL teams and fans will give the guy a second chance ... if Hunt takes the steps to turn his life around.
"I mean this country is all about second chances," Leaf told us ... "Look at me."
After being selected with the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Leaf's life fell apart -- he was arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary.
But, Leaf got help, sobered up and got his life back on track -- he now hosts a sports talk show on SiriusXM.
Leaf says if Hunt can focus on taking positive, healthy steps at bettering himself ... he really hopes the running back can play pro football again.
Still, Leaf is not minimizing Hunt's actions.
"Playing in the NFL, it's a privilege, it's not a right. And, there's consequences to your actions and you always have control over that."
So, what should Hunt be doing during his time away from the league?
"Just working on himself. That's the only thing you can do. You can't control what anybody else does."
"What you've done is allow these consequences to take place. Work on yourself. Try to be a better person everyday. We're all flawed human beings trying to be better but there's consequences to your actions and you have to be accountable for 'em."