There are two distinct aspects of the recent, chaotic, disturbing and increasingly self-immolating life of Tyreek Hill. Some of these aspects are not Hill’s fault. Many of them are. Many of them are signs of a person who doesn’t get it, and needs someone to make him get it, before he plays himself out of the NFL. Or something worse happens.
There was the Hill who was stopped by police in September for allegedly speeding. According to body-cam footage released by the Miami-Dade Police Department, Hill was pulled out of the car, and shoved to the ground, after refusing to roll down his window. Hill should have rolled down his window but the police reaction was, well, completely unnecessary. One of the officers involved in the arrest had previously been the subject of multiple complaints for use of force and conduct unbecoming of an officer.
Do you blame Hill for that? You can. I don’t.
But that’s where the grace should end. Because so many other things Hill has been accused of are immensely disturbing. Hill, as the kids say, is trending.
Trending toward a disturbing place. He’s becoming Antonio Brown Part 2.
Hill was yet again involved in a domestic dispute, according to a police report. The report stated Hill’s mother-in-law said the Dolphins wide receiver was acting ‘very aggressive and impulsive,’ claiming he had thrown a laptop, grabbed his wife Keeta Hill, and walked toward the balcony high-rise.
Both Keeta and Tyreek Hill stated that the argument never became physically violent. No arrests were made. Officers said there was a light red mark on Keeta’s upper chest. She said that could have occurred when Tyreek Hill took their child from her.
This is far from the first time Hill has faced these type of accusations. He was accused in college of an ugly incident of domestic violence. There was a child abuse investigation. There was an assault allegation in 2023. An Instagram model said he broke her leg while the two were participating in a football drill.
These are not normal things. You might also notice a pattern. In many of these incidents are accusations of violence and an abuse of power, especially against women. Hill does not seem like a good dude. Hill seems like he’s on a steep decline.
You have to wonder how long the Dolphins will tolerate this. If they haven’t already reached their end point. Other teams might look at the fact that Hill still runs at warp, and because of that speed he might always have a home in the NFL. Teams compromise themselves over talent all the time. Yet if you’re the Dolphins or any other team, you might be saying: Is he worth it?
When making that decision they might want to think about Antonio Brown.
Brown was another great wide receiver. Brown, too, was involved in a steady slope of ugly incidents. Like Hill, there were accusations of sexual misconduct.
Eventually, his off-field issues were so deep, and so troubling, not even his substantial talent could save him.
What someone needs to tell Hill is there’s a certain point where the NFL will ignore you. It doesn’t care about you. It only cares about what you can do and teams use a certain (unofficial) equation:
Performance minus headache equals viability.
If you are great, the headache part of this formula can be high, and you will have a home in the NFL.
Hill is no longer the receiver he once was. He’s still good but not outstanding. The performance part of the equation is shrinking for him while the headache part is increasing. The viability is getting smaller and smaller.
Hill said at the end of last season he wanted out of Miami. Then later said he wanted to return. The Dolphins say they want him back.
“I can certainly say with certainty that at this certain moment (Hill won’t be traded),” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said from the NFL’s annual meetings. “We are fully planning to move forward for a better version of our relationship with Tyreek.”
Maybe that’s accurate. For now. Just remember the equation.
This was the same equation that ate Brown alive. It will get Hill, too.
Unless someone steps in and prevents him from becoming AB The Sequel.