The Kansas City Chiefs have yet another player scandal on their hands. They had to let go of Kareem Hunt, their franchise running back, just last November. Now, All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill could be facing a suspension. Hunt and Hill’s stories are unfortunately all too similar.

Hunt was released from the team Nov. 30, 2018 after a video surfaced of him kicking a woman in a hotel. The team was aware of the incident beforehand, but Hunt lied to the organization. When the video was released, they let Hunt go within a couple hours. Hill’s situation is a little more complex than that.

The incident

A few weeks ago, a domestic dispute took place at the Hill residence. There was an investigation, but the district attorney said there was not enough evidence to charge anybody. The DA stated that he believed a crime occurred, but the office could not confirm who the culprit was.

On April 26, an audio recording was released that appeared to reveal a conversation between Hill and his partner. In the altercation, Hill’s fiancée claims that their son is terrified of Hill, and Hill responds, “You need to be terrified of me too.”

Following the release of the recording, the Chiefs suspended Hill from team activities. Since then, Hill’s attorney sent a letter to the NFL stating that Hill doesn’t abuse his son, and that there are text messages detailing that it was actually his fiancée who hit their son.

To further complicate matters, Hill pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case when he was a student at the University of West Alabama in 2014. In that case, he admitted to physically abusing his now-fiancée. If the NFL concludes that he’s guilty, the consequences could be terminal.  

When a player breaks the NFL’s domestic violence policy the first time, he receives a six-game suspension. Since Hill’s first offense occurred at a time when he wasn’t in the NFL, it’s unlikely that he will be removed from the league permanently.

However, the policy also states that an increased suspension is justified when a player has an offense that predates his time with the NFL. So we don’t really know how long the suspension would be if he’s found guilty, but it might not matter because he might not get another chance with an NFL team.

Predicting the future

It’s impossible to know what’s going to happen, but we have some evidence at our disposal. When the Chiefs received all the information in the Kareem Hunt case, they wasted no time releasing him. I think the same could apply for Tyreek Hill.

Hill is currently suspended from team activities until the Chiefs have more information. If the information the NFL finds in their investigation concludes that Hill is at fault, he might be cut immediately. Another key piece of evidence is who the Chiefs drafted in this year’s NFL draft.

With their first pick in the draft (round 2, #56 overall), Kansas City selected wide receiver Mecole Hardman. A junior from the University of Georgia, Hardman stands at 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs in at 187 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds, and he’s known for his speed and return abilities.

Sound familiar? The NFL player comparison is Tyler Lockett, but I think we all know who the Chiefs’ front office was comparing him to on draft night.

I think Hardman is an insurance policy if Hill doesn’t work out and a replacement if the Chiefs decide to keep Hill in the event of a suspension.

Hopefully, Hill can get his act together because the NFL won’t be the same without his lightning speed and electrifying talent.