When the Chiefs drafted all-purpose offensive threat Tyreek Hill in April, they took a lot of heat locally (and a decent amount nationally) given Hill’s history of domestic violence. Now that Hill has emerged as a star player, and the NFL is embracing him accordingly, the league is taking heat, too.
Hill appears on the header of the league’s official Twitter page, which as of this posting has 20.7 million followers.
The reaction has been strong on Twitter, and the controversy has made its way to the Daily Mail, which won’t help the league win more fans in England.
In 2015, Hill pleaded guilty to abuse by strangulation of his then-pregnant girlfriend. He was placed on probation, and he remains in that status through 2018.
“Those guys, those fans, they have every right to be mad at me because I did something wrong and I just let my emotions get the best of me and I shouldn’t have done it,” Hill said in May, after he was drafted. “They have every right to be mad. But guess what, I’m going to come back and be a better man, be a better citizen and everything will just take care of itself and let God do the rest.”
Although the NFL will discipline players who commit domestic violence after their professional careers begin, there is no barrier to employment for misconduct occurring before they enter the league. Ultimately, whether and to what extent a player is shunned depends on various factors, including the player’s talent level and the franchise’s willingness to tolerate the P.R. fallout associated with giving a second chance to a person whom many would say does not deserve the privilege of playing professional football.
Hill’s rapid rise to stardom, which helps justify the decision to draft him in round five, will serve only to highlight his history, setting the stage for social-media scrutiny and, in time, a Real Sports or E:60 in-depth look at the allegations made against him in 2014 -- and his admitted violation of the law.