Will the Kansas City Chiefs cut Tyreek Hill?

Any evidence in newly-leaked audio that Tyreek Hill was involved in his son’s injuries should result in his release from Kansas City.

Though the Johnson County (Kan.) District Attorney’s office announced on Wednesday that they would not be pressing charges against Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill or his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, in conjunction with an investigation into Hill’s three-year-old son’s broken arm, it appears that Hill’s problems related to the alleged incident are not over.

Brandon Kiley of 610 Sports radio in Kansas City reported on Thursday that local Kansas City television station, KCTV Channel 5, has “an audio recording of Tyreek Hill talking to his fiancee Crystal Espinal, that includes the two discussing their son’s broken arm, how it happened, and how they are dealing with investigators.” KCTV will release the recording at 6:00 pm local time.

Depending on the contents of the tape and how the league interprets them, it could provide further evidence for the NFL and the Chiefs of Hill’s involvement in his son’s injuries. And, should that be the case, there’s no doubt that Hill will be subject to league discipline. He will also face being cut by the Chiefs. And it certainly looks like Hill did something — or numerous somethings — to his son, based on the recording.

This isn’t Hill’s first allegation of domestic violence. He plead guilty in 2015 to domestic assault and battery following a December 2014 incident in which Espinal alleged that Hill punched and choked her while pregnant with their son. He was dismissed from the Oklahoma State football team as a result, and after completing the terms of his probation, had his record expunged in 2018.

That didn’t result in any NFL-imposed discipline, but it did help him drop to Round 5 of the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was ultimately selected by the Chiefs. In the three years since, Hill has become Kansas City’s top receiver, with 223 catches for 3,255 yards and 25 scores on his career.

With the audio unquestionably damning, the Chiefs will have to look past his significant on-field production and apply discipline. Releasing Hill is certainly not off the table and is most likely imminent; the Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt last fall after video emerged of Hunt assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel and the NFL announced an investigation into the matter.

A release of Hill would most likely result in the league immediately placing him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, as was the case with Hunt. That way, no team can try to claim Hill off of waivers, essentially rewarding him with the ability to potentially keep playing football despite his potential criminal acts or violations of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. Then Hill would be subject to league discipline, following the completion of its own investigation. And with the District Attorney in possession of the audio, the criminal investigation into him could reopen as well.

Based solely on the Chiefs’ track record with Hunt, any conclusive evidence that Hill was involved with his son’s injuries should end his career in Kansas City.