Chiefs suspend Tyreek Hill following release of tape alleging he physically abused his three-year-old son
Tyreek Hill, 25, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been suspended by the team after an audio recording was released of Hill and his fiancée discussing injuries that occurred to their three-year-old son. The toddler’s arm had been broken and the 11-minute audiotape which was sent to a TV station in Kansas City appears to depict the couple arguing over who hurt the baby, according to The Kansas City Star.
Hill’s fiancée and the mother of the little boy that was injured is identified as Crystal Espinal. Both Hill and Espinal allegedly belong to the voices heard on the audiotape.
A voice believed to be Espinal’s, who is pregnant with twins, can be heard telling the man believed to be Hill that their son said, “Daddy did it.” She says to the man, “He is terrified of you. … A 3-year-old is not going to lie about what happened to his arm.” “You need to be terrified of me, too, b—-,” the man replies.
The pair can also be heard blaming each other for hitting the boy with a belt and wondering who “ratted” them out to investigators.
What’s troubling about this tape, in addition to the child being injured in the first place, is that Hill does not deny hurting the toddler. He in fact can be heard doubling-down and making matters worse when he says, “You need to be terrified of me, too, b—-.”
The child has since been removed from Hill and Espinal’s care and placed with other family members.
After hearing the audiotape, management for the Chiefs issued a statement saying that Hill had been suspended from “partaking in any team activities,” according to the team’s general manager Brett Veach, as reported by Sports Illustrated.“
CBS Sports reported that the NFL may be considering placing Hill on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, an action that may occur sometime this week.
The NFL and the players’ union have reviewed the audiotape that a TV station aired last week on which Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his fiancée discuss injuries to their child, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
The league has historically declined to use the commissioner’s exempt list in the offseason but is considering making an exception in this case, likely as early as this week, because Hill is in the middle of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Newser reported the District Attorney for Johnson County, Steve Howe, as saying that a criminal investigation into any wrongdoing on the part of whether Hill or Espinal hurt the child had been closed. Howe said that he’s sure a crime was committed but would be unable to prove who committed it. That criminal investigation into the couple has since been reopened, according to Fox News.
In 2015, Hill pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges for punching and choking Espinal while she was pregnant. He was sentenced to three years probation but eventually selected by Kansas City in the fifth round in the 2016 NFL draft. ~ per Sports Illustrated
You can hear the audio tape of Hill and Espinal arguing over the child’s injuries here.
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
