Chiefs officials don’t expect long suspension for Tyreek Hill

Per The Athletic, anonymous officials from the Kansas City Chiefs don’t expect a particularly long suspension for Tyreek Hill.

If some anonymously quoted officials end up correct, the Kansas City Chiefs should have Tyreek Hill back in time to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 after serving a suspension yet to be levied.

Per reporter Nate Taylor of The Athletic, sources from the team are expecting a shorter suspension for Hill than what analysts and fans might have originally expected when news that Hill’s home was the central focus for allegations of child abuse and child neglect.

Hill and his fiancee Crystal Espinal have been investigated by authorities after it was discovered their three-year-old son had a broken arm. Reports came in claiming it was the result of abuse in the home, and given Hill’s background of domestic violence, the headlines were quickly generated around Hill and Espinal before the investigation had even concluded.

When the smoke cleared, authorities were unable to bring charges against either party despite their belief a crime had been committed. Over time, it also became clear the story was more complex than originally believed and that the Chiefs had good reason to allow Hill to stay connected so that proper time could be allowed to sift and sort through the evidence and testimonies.

At one point, it looked like the Chiefs might treat Hill like they did Kareem Hunt and release him from the roster. At a later point, an indefinite suspension seemed reasonable with Hill perhaps being forced to miss half to a full season. Now, per Taylor, the Chiefs aren’t expecting much of a suspension at all with one official saying a “maximum” of four games.

The damning evidence against Hill seems to be an audio recording which was partially made available to the general public. The portions of that recording that were played on-air by local news in Kansas City painted Hill in a horrible light as he made verbal threats against Espinal. The NFL reportedly heard the full tape in their meeting with Hill on Wednesday, but those threats are likely going to be the substance of any looming suspension coming Hill’s way.

Hill also has the NFL’s Player’s Association in his corner and if there’s flimsy evidence tied to a suspension, he could potentially appeal and even get any sort of suspension cleared or cut a bit more if he wanted to go that route. Then again, he’s still scheduled to appear before Roger Goodell at NFL headquarters, and the investigation by the Kansas Department for Children and Families hasn’t concluded either. In short, there’s still a road to walk for Hill before he can breathe easy.

That said, the cloud has certainly been lifted for Hill and the Chiefs in terms of any long-term worries about his availability to play for the team. It looks, at this point, like rookie wideout Mecole Hardman will be a complement instead of a substitute. Here’s hoping the cloud around the family can also lift and specifically that the innocent child involved can ultimately return to a loving, safe environment sooner than later.