Opinion: NFL must ban Tyreek Hill if audio found to be legitimate
![Portrait of Nancy Armour](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2022/02/05/USAT/b7534b72-26cd-4c54-b852-1cc0d3d3a680-Mug3.jpg?crop=1404,1404,x0,y0&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If the audiotape is legitimate, if Tyreek Hill really did physically abuse his son and threaten his fianceÌe, the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver doesnât belong in the NFL.
A jail cell, a psychologistâs office or, better yet, both. But definitely not the NFL.
A Kansas City TV station aired portions of a recording Thursday night that it said was of Hill and Crystal Espinal arguing about who caused their 3-year-old sonâs injuries. The little boy suffered a broken arm and, Espinal can be heard on the recording telling Hill that their son said, âDaddy did it.â
âA 3-year-oldâs not going to lie about what happened to his arm,â Espinal says.
USA TODAY Sports has not independently confirmed the tape, or that it is Hill and Espinal speaking on it. But on Wednesday, a Johnson County (Kan.) district attorney said he believed âa crime has occurred,â and that his office was worried about the health and safety of Hill and Espinalâs son.
And late Thursday, Chiefs GM Brett Veach said, according to the Kansas City Star: "Tyreek Hill will not take part in any team activities. ... We will make the right decision regarding Tyreek Hill."
NFL draft tracker:LIVE pick-by-pick analysis of every selection in Round 1
No charges were filed, but only because the district attorney said he couldnât determine whether it was Hill or Espinal whoâd abused the boy.
Let that sink in for a minute.
And then recall that when Espinal was pregnant with this same child, she accused Hill of grabbing her around the neck, pinning her against a wall and then throwing her to the ground. Grabbing her by the hair and putting her in a headlock so tight she couldnât breathe.
When police saw her in the emergency room, Espinal had cuts and bruises on her neck and lips.
âI did something I shouldnât have done,â Hill acknowledged in court.
And now it appears heâs done so again.
On the tape, Hill denies abusing his son. But when Espinal tells him his son is âterrifiedâ of him, Hill responds, âYou need to be terrified of me, too, dumb, (expletive).â
The NFL was already looking into Hillâs conduct, and Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN before the draft began Thursday night that he didnât want to ârush to judgment.â I realize itâs not security footage from an elevator, but if this audio recording is authenticated, Goodell can't act fast enough.
Hill needs to be banished from the league. Immediately. And the ban needs to be permanent so Jerry Jones or some other owner with a flexible conscience wonât find himself tempted when heâs in need of a wide receiver.
Hill is hardly the first NFL player to be accused of domestic violence and, human nature being what it is, he wonât be the last. Goodell has seen fit to give other players a second chance, taking to heart the advice of domestic abuse experts, who say the loss of a job or income can sometimes put victims in even greater jeopardy.
But this wasnât a single incident, or discipline that was a little too heavy handed. This is brutality, and repeated instances of it. Hillâs children â in addition to their 3-year-old, Espinal is pregnant with twins â need protection, and Hill needs help.
A 3-year-old doesn't belong in a hospital or the court system because of his father. And if that turns out to be the case, Hill no longer belongs in the NFL.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.