Browns general manager John Dorsey announced the signing today -- a reported 1-year deal -- saying there were two important factors to signing the RB:

"One is that Kareem took full responsibility for his egregious actions and showed true remorse and secondly, just as importantly, he is undergoing and is committed to necessary professional treatment and a plan that has been clearly laid out."

Hunt had previously said he was getting treatment for alcohol and anger management after multiple allegations of off-the-field violence. We broke the story ... Hunt shoved and kicked a woman during a Feb. 10, 2018 altercation.

For his part, Hunt has issued a new statement saying, "First off, I would like to once again apologize for my actions last year. What I did was wrong and inexcusable."

"That is not the man I was raised to be, and I’ve learned a great deal from that experience and certainly should have been more truthful about it after the fact."

"I’m extremely grateful that John Dorsey, Dee and Jimmy Haslam and the Cleveland Browns organization are granting me the opportunity to earn their trust and represent their organization in the best way possible on and off the field."

"I am committed to following the necessary steps to learn and to be a better and healthier person from this situation. I also understand the expectations that the Browns have clearly laid out and that I have to earn my way back to the NFL."

"I’m a work in progress as a person, but I’m committed to taking advantage of the support systems that I have in place to become the best and healthier version of myself."

The Browns are pretty solid in the running back position after a strong rookie year from starter Nick Chubb. It'll be interesting to see how Hunt fits into the offensive plans.

John Dorsey acknowledges the Hunt signing is controversial -- and says the team thought long and hard before signing him.

"We fully understand and respect the complexity of questions and issues in signing a player with Kareem’s history and do not condone his actions," Dorsey said.

"Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance but certainly with the understanding that he has to go through critical and essential steps to become a performing member of this organization, aside from what the NFL determines from their ongoing investigation."

At this point, the NFL still has not decided on a punishment for Hunt -- he could face a serious suspension.

We recently spoke with Hunt's former teammates, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, who told us they're rooting for Hunt to get a second chance and still consider him a friend.