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It would be easy to point out this is April and we shouldn’t be talking about Tyreek Hill, but rather any number of prospects the Miami Dolphins could select in the upcoming draft.
But this is bigger than the ever-worsening distraction Tyreek Hill is for the Dolphins. Before we can debate how much the Dolphins could get if they trade Hill -- more like how little they’ll get — there are real-world issues that must be addressed.
News broke Wednesday that Sunny Isles police responded to a call of a domestic dispute involving Hill and wife Keeta on Monday. Such cases can be a minefield of he said/she said, sometimes involving exaggerated claims, other times with the wife bending over backward to cover for her husband.
We don’t know the dynamics in place here, so we're sticking with what we do know:
More: Miami Dolphins must hope Terron Armstead is right that leadership 'groundwork' in place | Habib
Hill’s mother-in-law, Alesia Vaccaro, told police Hill was acting “very aggressive and impulsive,” so much so that she was concerned for her daughter’s safety. According to the police report, Vaccaro also said Hill threw a laptop, grabbed his baby daughter and began walking toward a balcony of the high-rise apartment.
Police said Hill said he can “take my baby whenever I want.” But grabbing a baby when you’re angry? And walking toward a balcony on the 35th floor? If that’s how it unfolded, wouldn’t police have taken further action to assure the baby’s safety? That’s no attempt at being melodramatic. Not after police reported seeing a red mark or bruise on Keeta’s chest, which she said may have happened when he took the baby from her, even though both sides said the incident did not become physical.
This isn’t the first time there have been questions — not proof, but questions — about Hill’s actions around his children.
Although Hill was not arrested or detained in this week's incident, he does need to explain himself. Maybe he can, since he has had so much experience explaining his actions that it’s a wonder his life isn’t a reality show.
At a certain point, explanations become excuses and excuses become hollow. If you didn’t pass that point with Hill long ago, it’s probably because you became bored with his act. The wonder is how the Dolphins haven’t, at least not publicly. They continue to send signals that they don’t plan to part with Hill, with coach Mike McDaniel saying just last week that he would be “pumped” if teammates voted Hill a captain for 2025 because it would show they have faith he’ll be worthy of the honor.
You have to hope the Dolphins are privately biting their lip until a trade suitor can be found. No point in disparaging the goods you’re trying to sell, you understand. Just know a first-round pick won’t be landing in Miami’s lap given Hill's salary, his baggage and his drop in production and injury situation in 2024.
There comes a time when you have to cut bait, so long as it doesn’t involve getting into a ruckus with a dock worker. That’s one of Hill’s Miami dramatic episodes, joining the traffic stop that escalated on opening day; the social media influencer who sued him, claiming he broke her leg demonstrating a football drill; the fire at his home allegedly started by a child playing with a lighter; and the divorce he filed for, then retracted, shortly after getting married.
Then came the season-ending loss to the Jets in which he pulled himself out of the game, stunning teammates. Afterward, he said he needed to get out of Miami since one season out of the playoffs was beneath him. Then he wanted to stay. Then he made cryptic noise meaning something or nothing. Remember the part about his mother-in-law saying he acts impulsively?
Check your calendar to see if this is an odd or even day and you might know if Hill is coming, going or trolling.
Hill is 31 years old. He just doesn’t act like it. He can be engaging, funny and entertaining, but does the mischievous child in him not have an off switch? Or does he dial it up from “mischievous” to “dangerous”? His mother-in-law apparently thinks so. This wasn’t his first brush with domestic disputes. There also was a 2019 incident that triggered lengthy investigations by police and the NFL surrounding questions of his actions toward his then-fiancee and his 3-year-old son. Hill was heard on tape telling his fiancee she needed to be “terrified” of him, but he was not charged and the NFL did not suspend him.
Now, Hill is on the NFL’s radar again. The Dolphins have released a statement saying they have been in communication with Hill and the NFL since the latest incident.
We don’t know what action the league might take.
What should be clear is what action the Dolphins should take.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tyreek Hill's latest distraction biggest issue Miami Dolphins need to address
Continue reading...
But this is bigger than the ever-worsening distraction Tyreek Hill is for the Dolphins. Before we can debate how much the Dolphins could get if they trade Hill -- more like how little they’ll get — there are real-world issues that must be addressed.
News broke Wednesday that Sunny Isles police responded to a call of a domestic dispute involving Hill and wife Keeta on Monday. Such cases can be a minefield of he said/she said, sometimes involving exaggerated claims, other times with the wife bending over backward to cover for her husband.
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We don’t know the dynamics in place here, so we're sticking with what we do know:
More: Miami Dolphins must hope Terron Armstead is right that leadership 'groundwork' in place | Habib
Hill’s mother-in-law, Alesia Vaccaro, told police Hill was acting “very aggressive and impulsive,” so much so that she was concerned for her daughter’s safety. According to the police report, Vaccaro also said Hill threw a laptop, grabbed his baby daughter and began walking toward a balcony of the high-rise apartment.
Police said Hill said he can “take my baby whenever I want.” But grabbing a baby when you’re angry? And walking toward a balcony on the 35th floor? If that’s how it unfolded, wouldn’t police have taken further action to assure the baby’s safety? That’s no attempt at being melodramatic. Not after police reported seeing a red mark or bruise on Keeta’s chest, which she said may have happened when he took the baby from her, even though both sides said the incident did not become physical.
This isn’t the first time there have been questions — not proof, but questions — about Hill’s actions around his children.
So many incidents of late involving Tyreek Hill
Although Hill was not arrested or detained in this week's incident, he does need to explain himself. Maybe he can, since he has had so much experience explaining his actions that it’s a wonder his life isn’t a reality show.
At a certain point, explanations become excuses and excuses become hollow. If you didn’t pass that point with Hill long ago, it’s probably because you became bored with his act. The wonder is how the Dolphins haven’t, at least not publicly. They continue to send signals that they don’t plan to part with Hill, with coach Mike McDaniel saying just last week that he would be “pumped” if teammates voted Hill a captain for 2025 because it would show they have faith he’ll be worthy of the honor.
You have to hope the Dolphins are privately biting their lip until a trade suitor can be found. No point in disparaging the goods you’re trying to sell, you understand. Just know a first-round pick won’t be landing in Miami’s lap given Hill's salary, his baggage and his drop in production and injury situation in 2024.
There comes a time when you have to cut bait, so long as it doesn’t involve getting into a ruckus with a dock worker. That’s one of Hill’s Miami dramatic episodes, joining the traffic stop that escalated on opening day; the social media influencer who sued him, claiming he broke her leg demonstrating a football drill; the fire at his home allegedly started by a child playing with a lighter; and the divorce he filed for, then retracted, shortly after getting married.
Then came the season-ending loss to the Jets in which he pulled himself out of the game, stunning teammates. Afterward, he said he needed to get out of Miami since one season out of the playoffs was beneath him. Then he wanted to stay. Then he made cryptic noise meaning something or nothing. Remember the part about his mother-in-law saying he acts impulsively?
Check your calendar to see if this is an odd or even day and you might know if Hill is coming, going or trolling.
Tough to know where Tyreek Hill is coming from sometimes
Hill is 31 years old. He just doesn’t act like it. He can be engaging, funny and entertaining, but does the mischievous child in him not have an off switch? Or does he dial it up from “mischievous” to “dangerous”? His mother-in-law apparently thinks so. This wasn’t his first brush with domestic disputes. There also was a 2019 incident that triggered lengthy investigations by police and the NFL surrounding questions of his actions toward his then-fiancee and his 3-year-old son. Hill was heard on tape telling his fiancee she needed to be “terrified” of him, but he was not charged and the NFL did not suspend him.
Now, Hill is on the NFL’s radar again. The Dolphins have released a statement saying they have been in communication with Hill and the NFL since the latest incident.
We don’t know what action the league might take.
What should be clear is what action the Dolphins should take.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tyreek Hill's latest distraction biggest issue Miami Dolphins need to address
Continue reading...
