KC Star-Chiefs defend decision to draft Tyreek Hill

[DaneMcCloud]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl...#storylink=cpy

If there was any doubt as to whether or not Hill was guilty, this article removes all doubt.

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For the three-plus years they’ve been in Kansas City, Chiefs coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey have consistently stated their desire to find high-character players who love football. They have said this time and time again, over and over. But on Saturday, at about 2:14 p.m., the Chiefs used a fifth-round draft pick to select a dynamic return man with a history that runs counter to all that.

The Chiefs used the 165th overall pick to select West Alabama receiver Tyreek Hill, who was kicked off Oklahoma State’s team on Dec. 12, 2014, after he was arrested and accused of punching and choking his pregnant girlfriend. Hill eventually pleaded guilty Aug. 21, 2015, to domestic abuse by strangulation. He was sentenced to three years’ probation — which ends Aug. 15, 2018 — and also was fined $500 plus fees and ordered to pay $263.14 in restitution.

The Chiefs were aware of the incident, but that didn’t deter them from selecting Hill, who transferred to West Alabama and appeared in 11 games in 2015 before blazing a 4.25-second 40-yard dash at his pro day in March. The decision thrust the Chiefs into the conversation about the sincerity of the NFL’s efforts to prevent and discourage domestic violence. Both Greg Hardy and Ray Rice, two players who have been thrust into the spotlight because of domestic violence issues in their personal lives, are currently unsigned.

Fan reaction to the move — which comes four years after the Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher murdered his girlfriend and committed suicide in the parking lot of the team training facility — was fast and swift, as fans flooded the franchise’s Twitter account with negative replies following the announcement of the pick. And in an unusual move, Dorsey met with reporters Saturday evening — he normally waits until Monday after the draft for his final press conference — to discuss Hill’s selection, along with Reid, and attempted to ease concerns.

“I just want everybody to understand that we have done our due diligence with regards to full vetting each one of our draft-class members,” said Dorsey, who added that he had “long discussions” with Reid and Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt before making the selection. “We would never put anybody in this community in harm’s way.”

Reid agreed, reiterating that the organization has “done its homework” on Hill and asking fans to essentially give them the benefit of the doubt, since they say they can’t publicly discuss whatever details they were able to dig up about Hill’s case. “There has to be a certain trust here, but there’s just things that we can’t go into and go through,” Reid said. “We want people to understand, like Dorsey said, we’re not going to do anything to put this community or this organization in a bind. “We uncovered every possible stone that we possibly could, and we feel very comfortable with that part of it.”

During their extensive research on Hill’s background — the Chiefs spoke to ex-teammates and coaches, but Reid wouldn’t say whether they spoke to the woman who was assaulted — the Chiefs also became enamored with Hill’s talent. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Hill, who spent the first two seasons of his career at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, was a budding star at Oklahoma State, as he led the Cowboys with 1,811 all-purpose yards as a junior in 2014. “He’s got world-class speed,” said area scout Ryne Nutt, who served as the lead scout on Hill. “He ran a 4.25. I was at his pro day and it was one of the better pro days I was at all year. The kid’s explosive, he’s fast-twitched; he can obviously run and he’s very good with the ball in his hands.”

Nutt said Chiefs special-teams coach Dave Toub compared Hill’s return skills to Atlanta return specialist Devin Hester. “He’s probably the best returner I’ve done since I’ve been in the NFL — just elite explosiveness,” said Nutt, a seven-year NFL veteran scout. Hill’s 996 combined return yards in 2014 were the second-most in the nation, and on the field, he figures to give the Chiefs a much-needed alternative as a slot receiver and punt-return option to De’Anthony Thomas, who missed the last month of the 2015 season for undisclosed reasons but has rejoined the team. Hill could also help out on kick returns, where starter Knile Davis has been shopped all offseason. Yet, for all Hill’s electrifying talent, his past dominated discussion on draft day, and with good reason.

According to a Stillwater Police Department incident report, Hill got into a verbal altercation that turned physical with his girlfriend, who was two months pregnant with his child at the time. Hill allegedly punched her in the face and stomach and also choked her twice, busting open her lip and leaving her with a bruised left eye, according to the police report. The police officer’s notes also indicated that the right side of her neck was red where Hill choked her and she complained that her head and stomach hurt from the blows. Hill’s girlfriend also told police that he’d been physical with her before, “but it had not been this bad, just a lot of manhandling but Hill has never hit her,” according to the report.

Reid and Dorsey stressed the Chiefs understand the sensitivity of the matter, especially in regards to domestic violence on the NFL level, with both of them even attempting to speak on a personal level, with Dorsey mentioning that he has a son and a daughter, and Reid mentioning that his wife, Tammy, has contributed to multiple domestic-violence prevention ventures over the last 14 years.

“The unique part of this — and I think the part that we have to understand is — very seldom does the other side try to right the wrong,” Reid said, his voice starting to crack. “We see this kid trying to do that — he’s trying to make the effort to right the wrong — and I think that can be a great example to so many people that have fallen into this situation.” Both men firmly stressed that the Chiefs wouldn’t have made the decision to draft Hill if they didn’t believe he was on the right track. “Before you’re given a second chance, you better be doing the right things,” Reid said. “So he’s been in counseling, he’ll continue to be in counseling, we’ve got a great support system here for that with quality people. “We feel good that he’s trying to right a wrong, a big wrong. But he’s trying to do better, and be a better person for it. And that part, we feel very confident in.”

The Chiefs said that over the last year, Hill has had to complete a domestic-abuse evaluation, an anger-management course and a yearlong batterer’s program. And during a teleconference with Kansas City media on Saturday, Hill expressed regret for his role in the incident, and noted that the teams that interviewed him during the predraft process — the Chiefs showed the most interest, he added — asked him plenty about the incident.

“I got questions everywhere I went, so it wasn’t anything new to me,” Hill said. “I would have just told them straight up, ‘I’m trying to move on from that. I’m trying to be a better young man. I’m trying to show who I truly am.’ Stuff like that. “The only thing I did say was, ‘I’m sorry. I messed up. I embarrassed the program at OSU. I embarrassed the coaches. I embarrassed a lot of people back at home.’ That’s it. That’s how I explained it. I really don’t want to go into detail.” Asked what he’s done to improve himself and avoid a similar incident, Hill said, “I just try to choose my friends wisely. I’m not trying to point any fingers at anybody, but I’ve just got to be better at choosing my friends and who I hang around, stuff like that.”

Hill also expressed appreciation to the Chiefs for taking a chance on him.

“It’s life-changing, for real, to just be around guys like that I’ve watched on TV all of my life,” Hill said. “I’m just really happy for the chance, and I just want to thank the Chiefs’ organization, the coaches and everybody that just believes in me.”

This is not the first time the Chiefs have brought in somebody with domestic violence issues in the recent past. Last May, they signed Mississippi State cornerback Justin Cox and Iowa State defensive lineman David Irving as undrafted free agents. Both were charged with domestic violence in 2014, but both charges were dropped before they signed with the Chiefs. Cox was eventually released in July 2015 when he was arrested for domestic violence for the second time in less than a year. Irving, meanwhile, stayed out of trouble, but was signed off the Chiefs’ practice squad by the Cowboys in September 2015.

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said during training camp last summer that the Chiefs don’t have a hard-and-fast policy for bringing in players who have had trouble with the law because “every situation is different.” “It’s up to John (Dorsey) and his staff to do the research when the player has an incident and make a judgement call on as to whether it’s going to work out,” Hunt said at the time. “That particular situation (with Cox), it didn’t, but John is very aware that we don’t want guys who are going to be a problem in the community with the Kansas City Chiefs, and as a result, he and his team have to do a lot of work.”

And when the Chiefs first brought Cox in, Reid said they did their background work on him, just like they’re saying now. “John and I talk about it, and he knows that we want to be a leader in the NFL, not a team that has a lot of guys that are getting in trouble,” Hunt said. “It’s up to him to make those decisions within the parameters I allow him to do that.” With Hunt’s desire’s clear — and the fact Hunt was consulted on the Hill decision — there appears to be plenty, including the team’s credibility, to an extent, staked on Hill not getting into any more trouble.

So why even take the risk? Well Reid insists there’s a human element involved. He noted that he went through a similar situation with Michael Vick, who signed with the Eagles in 2009 after he became the object of scorn for dogfighting. “He’s been under the gun, just like this, and all eyes were on him,” Reid said of Vick. “He tried to come out of prison and right the wrong; I saw that and was sensitive to it and gave him a second chance. It was the greatest thing to ever happen to anti-dogfighting, and he’s been on a mission to help stop that. Every situation is different, and you’ve got to study it, see the person and see the heart that belongs to that person.”

Both Reid and Dorsey insist their mission of bringing good people, not just good players, into the organization has not been changed by the addition of Hill. “I believe words mean something, I really do,” Dorsey said. “And I’ve said early on, I was going to bring guys with character in here, guys that were going to be good people in this community. I said that when I first got here, and I still mean that.”

Reid added: “We think there will be a positive end to this. And I just ask that we let the young man get on with his work and life and help encourage him so we can get a positive out of this. That would be great for humanity itself, and then whatever he does on the football field is icing on the cake.

“So it can be a win-win, bringing him to this great city of Kansas City.”

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

. I'm trying to remain level headed about the whole situation. Doesn't mean I want to be friends with the guy but at some point we need to let him move on.

Stop it....just stop it right now.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

Comparing murder (or conspiracy to commit) to assault is not an equal argument. One is a misdemeanor and one is a felony. If you want to make beating up your girlfriend a felony by all means please write your representatives. As it currently stands this guy is no more a "criminal" than someone who shoplifts from the local grocery.

Oh, well since it is still legal to kill a black man after dark in many municipalities and illegal to peel onions within a block of the city square in others, we should just defer to the law and not a sense of common decency that says choking out and beating a pregnant woman is a heinously violent crime.

Getting caught with 38 grams of pot? Guy is more of a criminal than Hill because the law considers possession of more than an ounce a felony.

And beating someone is not assault, according to the law, cop. That's battery. But hey, you're stationed with upholding the law, so it's totally understandable if you don't understand.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

I know you do. That's why I'm surprised.

Some people know how to and when to push other people's buttons. If that pattern is repeated over and over sometimes people lose it and do something they wouldn't do otherwise. Does that make it acceptable? No. But it can turn someone into something they are not.

By and large there are repeat offenders that get caught for the first time - but there is a percentage of people that are one time offenders. We know not which this gentleman is until we either give him time to hang himself again or hire a PI to look into his past relationships. Something tells me Chiefs leadership took the second option and found out it was an isolated incident. But I could be wrong.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

There's also the possibility that the sports team they root for isn't run by total incompetents, actually did their due diligence, and made a decision after long internal discussion.

Remote as that possibility may be.

In what world is this a defensible decision given the climate of the NFL, court documents, and her documented injuries?

They wouldn't even address if they had contacted her or not, so I'm sure they did their due diligence because John Dorsey said "trust me."

If there was one time to speak voluminously about who you talked to and how systemically you approached the process, this is the one, but all the media/fans got in response was "Trust me. We did our due diligence."

Well how about you prove what that diligence was? I doubt that they'll be exposing intellectual property by saying who they talked to.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Oh, well since it is still legal to kill a black man after dark in many municipalities and illegal to peel onions within a block of the city square in others, we should just defer to the law and not a sense of common decency that says choking out and beating a pregnant woman is a heinously violent crime.

Getting caught with 38 grams of pot? Guy is more of a criminal than Hill because the law considers possession of more than an ounce a felony.

And beating someone is not assault, according to the law, cop. That's battery. But hey, you're stationed with upholding the law, so it's totally understandable if you don't understand.

1. Write your representatives

2. Depends on the jurisdiction you live in. Some places battery is the act of physically touching others assault is. Colorado has no "battery".

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by CapsLockKey

Ok, then what did AP lose that was so much more than this kid?

I don't know for sure, you'd have to ask him. What I do know is there are many more things of value in life than money. Too bad money seems to be your only yardstick for measuring loss.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

Some people know how to and when to push other people's buttons. If that pattern is repeated over and over sometimes people lose it and do something they wouldn't do otherwise. Does that make it acceptable? No. But it can turn someone into something they are not.

By and large there are repeat offenders that get caught for the first time - but there is a percentage of people that are one time offenders. We know not which this gentleman is until we either give him time to hang himself again or hire a PI to look into his past relationships. Something tells me Chiefs leadership took the second option and found out it was an isolated incident. But I could be wrong.

I see your point, thanks.
Where we differ is that I see beating a woman, let alone a pregnant woman, as a one and done offense. I'm not interested in any excuses, don't care what a guy claims drove him to do it, and I'm not offering second chances.

[kcpasco]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

All of you Hill defenders, ask yourself this question: Would you feel the same way if he was drafted by Oakland or Denver?

Not defending him but lets not pretend Hill is the only scumbag in the NFL. Where do you draw a line on who plays and who doesn't?

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

In what world is this a defensible decision given the climate of the NFL, court documents, and her documented injuries?

They wouldn't even address if they had contacted her or not, so I'm sure they did their due diligence because John Dorsey said "trust me."

If there was one time to speak voluminously about who you talked to and how systemically you approached the process, this is the one, but all the media/fans got in response was "Trust me. We did our due diligence."

Well how about you prove what that diligence was? I doubt that they'll be exposing intellectual property by saying who they talked to.

It was an arrogance that we haven't seen on display since the Pioli days.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

.

And beating someone is not assault, according to the law, cop. That's battery. But hey, you're stationed with upholding the law, so it's totally understandable if you don't understand.

18-3-202 thru 18-3-205 if you are looking.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

In what world is this a defensible decision given the climate of the NFL, court documents, and her documented injuries?

They wouldn't even address if they had contacted her or not, so I'm sure they did their due diligence because John Dorsey said "trust me."

If there was one time to speak voluminously about who you talked to and how systemically you approached the process, this is the one, but all the media/fans got in response was "Trust me. We did our due diligence."

Well how about you prove what that diligence was? I doubt that they'll be exposing intellectual property by saying who they talked to.

To be honest I haven't listened to a word John Dorsey has said. I just have a pretty good idea of the amount of money and time invested by all of these teams into researching players, so I'm comfortably certain that they would have gone into deep background on a guy like this before drafting him.

There's no doubt it's a questionable move from a PR perspective in the current climate, and domestic abuse is something that obviously needs to stop. That's never been in question from my perspective.

As I've said, I'm simply stating I don't know enough facts about the incident. But I do believe that the people involved in making this pick understand the climate as much as you and I do, and so I suspect that they must have a reason beyond simple talent for picking a guy with this particular red flag. But that's just an assumption on my part...

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

It was an arrogance that we haven't seen on display since the Pioli days.

The cost of getting field position for "short pass Pete" has gone up it seems.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

I see your point, thanks.
Where we differ is that I see beating a woman, let alone a pregnant woman, as a one and done offense. I'm not interested in any excuses, don't care what a guy claims drove him to do it, and I'm not offering second chances.

And that's totally fair.

[Simply Red]

All I know is I'm referring to him as Ike Hill moving forward, I really like that nickname I created. Thank you thank you!

[DaFace]

If the NFL started blacklisting criminals, the game wouldn't be much fun to watch. I won't be rooting for the guy necessarily, but if he can keep his nose clean from now on, whatever.