Criminal case against Chiefs star Tyreek Hill re-opened after he talks son's injury on leaked recording
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been banned from team activities after CBS Kansas City affiliate KCTV aired troubling audio of him and his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, discussing the circumstances that led to their 3-year-old son's broken arm. Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said the team was "deeply disturbed" over what they heard.
According to KCTV, the criminal case against Hill and Espinal was reopened Friday after Johnson County District Attorney Stephen M. Howe decided to not file charges against either parent for hurting the child last month. Howe said Thursday he believed a crime was committed but did not know who to charge.
Veach addressed the audio recording Thursday after the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville.
"We have great concern for Crystal, but our main concern is with the young child," he said. "We decided at this time and for the foreseeable future, Tyreek Hill will not take part in any team activities. We are going to gather more information, and we will make the right decision regarding Tyreek Hill."
In the 11-minute audio recording obtained by KCTV, the couple discussed the police investigation over alleged child abuse and her son's arm injury. In the recording, Espinal asked him, "Why does he say 'Daddy did it'?"
Hill responded, "I don't know. He says Daddy does a lot of things."
"Like what? A 3-year-old is not going to lie about what happened to his arm," Espinal said.
In another part of the audio, Espinal said her son was "terrified" of Hill.
Hill replied back in the recording, saying, "You need to be terrified of me, too, b----."
According to KCTV, Hill currently has a "no contact" order with his 3-year-old son. The recording is believed to have been made in early March when the parents were walking through Dubai's international airport. KCTV was told the recording was an "insurance policy" for Espinal.
The day before the audio came out, Hill said in a statement "my son's health and happiness is my number-one priority."