Kareem Hunt says his latest run-in with cops was nothing more than a "misunderstanding" ... but he says he's now promising to "lay low" to avoid any more incidents in the future.
"I'm just going to, you know, lay low and just continue working to be a better person and get ready for this season."
23-year-old Hunt was stopped by cops in late June after a night of partying in Cleveland ... with one witness telling TMZ Sports the officers wanted to question him about a physical altercation with another man.
In video we obtained, you can see the superstar running back seemingly pleading his case to the cops.
But, Hunt -- who was speaking to the media for the first time since the incident Monday -- says the whole thing was much ado about nothing.
"It was a misunderstanding," Hunt said ... "It was just something that was, you know, a misunderstanding."
Still, it wasn't a great look for Hunt, who's been suspended the first 8 games of the 2019 season after we posted video showing him kicking and shoving a woman at Cleveland hotel in February.
Hunt says he knows he needs to do better ... and is now vowing to do more to avoid trouble with the law.
"I've just been doing whatever it takes to stay out of the way and enjoy myself with my family and keep my mind on football."
Hunt also says his anger management counseling has helped, telling reporters, "I've been seeing my counselor and being able to talk to her about how I'm feeling and the way things are going. So it's been going well."