As explained here on Sunday, the Chiefs and/or the NFL are expected to take further action regarding receiver Tyreek Hill this week.
For the NFL, the better description would be “any” action, because the NFL has flatly ignored HIll’s situation in the 87 hours and counting since the disturbing audio of Hill threatening Crystal Espinal and also debating whether Hill broke the arm of their three-year-old son and whether and to what extent Espinal has covered for Hill.
The best move would be for the league to place Hill on the Commissioner Exempt list. In past cases, the league has opted not to invoke the paid-leave provision in the offseason, under the notion there’s far less attention being devoted by the public to the activities of NFL players. But Hill’s case has attracted plenty of attention, despite the league’s best efforts to publicly ignore it.
The Chiefs already have essentially suspended Hill, keeping him away from all offseason activities “for the foreseeable future.” With the Chiefs possibly concerned that something more definitive could further inflame the relationship between Hill and Espinal, it’s better for the league to place Hill on paid leave while the justice system investigates the situation and, quite possibly, makes further league or team action moot. If Hill ultimately isn’t prosecuted, the league can then conduct its own investigation and impose discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy, whether for injuring his child, threatening the mother of the child, not being truthful with law-enforcement officials, and/or any other possible violations flowing from the facts.
None of this changes the reality, based on the audio, that Hill has forfeited the privilege of playing for the Chiefs or any other NFL team. Once Hill is on the Commissioner Exempt list, however, there will be no need to get to that conclusion now -- even if that’s the conclusion that ultimately should be reached.