"Hard Knocks sportswashing Tyreek Hill’s past": Dan Le Batard accuses HBO of burying Dolphins WR’s alleged domestic violence case
While Tyreek Hill is questionable for their Week 16 game against the Dallas Cowboys, he has built a strong case for Most Valuable Player. The All-Pro wide receiver has 97 receptions for 1,542 yards and 12 touchdowns in 13 games.
His achievements got him much attention in the in-season edition of the HBO sports documentary Hard Knocks. The show also featured moments between him and his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, who he married last month.
However, sports show host Dan Le Batard reminded the public that what’s shown on Hard Knocks must not bury Hill’s troubled past. He also speculated that telling the story on his terms is what HBO got in return for access to one of the league’s top receivers.
Dan Le Batard raises his issue with HBO’s coverage of Tyreek Hill
In a recent episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the veteran sports media practitioner shared:
“Tyreek Hill came here to get stardom and to ‘sportswash’ some of his past, and he’s largely done that,” Le Batard said. “He is a star, talking about him for MVP, and very few people bring up horrifying details of his domestic abuse past. It seems like sports has moved on to celebrate Tyreek Hill for being super fast. And we moved on, like him, fast.”
Before Hill became the highest-paid wide receiver in terms of annual average value, he had a laundry list of off-field trouble. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges filed by his then-pregnant girlfriend, Crystal Espinal.
He was also placed on a three-year probation but was dismissed by Oklahoma State after one season. Hill was also required to undergo an anger management course, a year-long rehabilitation program for batterers, and a domestic abuse evaluation.
Five years later, Tyreek Hill was under investigation for alleged child abuse on his three-year-old son. While the incident’s full-audio recording was available, the NFL did not suspend Hill, saying he did not violate the league’s personal conduct policy.
This June, Hill is under investigation for allegedly physically assaulting a Haulover Marine Center employee after a verbal confrontation. However, both parties settled, and the league won’t penalize Hill for his actions.
Tyreek Hill embroiled in paternity lawsuits
Aside from the physical-laden issues involving Tyreek Hill, he is also facing separate paternity lawsuits one month after marrying Vaccaro. According to the New York Post's Jenna Lemoncelli, Brittany Lackner and Kimberly Baker filed the cases in Broward County, Florida.
Both women claimed that Hill wasn’t providing enough for the children he allegedly conceived with them. The Miami Dolphins wideout already pays them $2,500 each in monthly child support. Lackner’s son, Soul Corazon Hill, was born on February 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Baker claimed that Hill’s $2,500 child support is nowhere near the $10,000 needed to raise her daughter, Trae Love Hill. Aside from these payments, Hill also gives Espinal $13,500 monthly for their three children.