USA TODAY International Edition
Tyreek Hill must back up words
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – To a hero’s welcome, he returned.
As Tyreek Hill made his way down the hill that led to the training camp practice fields on Missouri Western State University’s campus, the chants started like a low buzz.
“Ty-Reek! Ty-Reek!” the cluster of fans that initially spotted the wide receiver cheered rhythmically. And then No. 10 stepped onto the field and into view of Saturday’s record-setting crowd of 8,000-plus.
Applause. Cheers. Whistles. Shrieks. “Ty-Reek. Ty-Reek! TY-REEK!” Soaking up the moment, Hill waved to the crowd.
“Cheetah’s back,” he said to himself and the fans, and then proceeded to show just that after using his blazing speed and gifted hands to reel in one Patrick Mahomes bomb after another.
A day later, Hill stepped to the podium at the media tent off to the side of the practice fields. It was his first interaction with reporters since a child abuse controversy engulfed him this offseason and prompted the Chiefs to ask him to stay away from the team until the completion of legal and NFL investigations.
“The love feels good,” Hill said. “To come back and have a chance, I’m back. The Cheetah is back, man.”
Hill stated and repeated, and then reiterated again how thankful he is for the Chiefs, notably chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, general manager Brett Veach, coach Andy Reid, his teammates and the fans. He expressed gratitude for the NFL officials, who after conducting their investigation – and with the police investigation into the allegations unearthing no concrete evidence of wrongdoing – ruled he was not deserving of a suspension or fines.
Then, Hill made a declaration and promise. “I can’t wait for my new journey, man. I’m excited,” he said. “I’m working every day to be a better father, better person, better citizen, a better son, too, to my parents. One thing stood out to me – my mom, as I was going through this long process, my mom told me, people don’t need to change, they need to grow. When you think about it, a tree changes and a tree grows every day. My mom kept telling me, ‘Reek, you need to grow. You need to add layers to yourself, because if a tree grows, it doesn’t go back.’ So I don’t want to go back. I want to grow every day of my life.”
Later, when asked about the audio file that started the whole investigation, Hill said, “I mean, I wish I could get into all of that, but I’m just here to man up to what I did,” Hill said. “On the audio, my bad language. I’m going to man up to that. I don’t want nobody talking to my little sister, my daughter that I have now, my mom like that. It’s very disrespectful. My mom got onto me. She thumped me on the ear saying, ‘C’mon, grow up from that.’ So never again. I’m growing up as a human being.”
One would’ve hoped that Hill would have already grown to the point where his name wasn’t linked to any form of violence or abuse. In 2015 as a college student, he pleaded guilty to punching and choking his girlfriend, an incident that hurt his draft stock but didn’t make him unattractive to the Chiefs. And four years later, we have this latest troubling – yet murky – episode.
But incidents like this have to stop. Hill will admit that. Now it’s time to finally learn, he says.
During the 81⁄2-minute news conference, he mentioned grow, growing or growth 18 times. He admitted that as a professional athlete he had reached a place where he took his lavish life and his family for granted. But he said this offseason’s incidents and the threat of punishment taught him lessons and gave him a new appreciation.
But he’ll long have a stench on him. It will take action.
Saturday’s return to the Chiefs represented a disconcerting dichotomy. The thunderous cheers from the Chiefs fans felt icky.
“Just run fast, score touchdowns, and we’ll turn a blind eye,” the members of Chiefs Kingdom seemed to say.
Most people would think twice of keeping company with someone with a track record like Hill’s. Yet because he’s a pro athlete for their favorite team, the standard seems different.
On one hand, yes, you want to see a troubled young man turn his life around. That’s something everyone should support. But at the same time, you can’t help but wonder if football teams and fans too willingly sweep the transgressions of their brightest stars under the rug.
Hill says he is doing so as he draws on his teammates and family members for strength. He said the fans’ cheers made him feel loved and appreciated as well.
But there’s a lesson here for those same adoring fans. Support, but don’t idolize. Be careful to avoid placing athletes on such a pedestal that we rationalize and excuse misbehavior. It’s bigger than touchdowns, point spreads and fantasy football crowns when real lives are at risk.
Use Hill’s situation as teaching moments, and let’s guard against turning a blind eye to victims of abuse.
Hill indicated he could get on board with that. “My story is crazy,” he said. “It’s going to be somebody’s testimony one day. I’m telling y’all.”
Let’s hope he’s right.