Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday a local prosecutor has reopened a child abuse investigation involving wide receiver Tyreek Hill after a TV station broadcast an audio recording in which Hill and his fiancee discuss injuries to their 3-year-old son.
Reid made the comment as the Chiefs introduced pass rusher Frank Clark, who the Kansas City traded for this week, but he and general manager Brett Veach both declined comment about Hill's case and potential next steps. The prosecutor, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, did not immediately return a message.
Police were called to the Hill home twice last month and determined the child had been injured. On Wednesday, Howe said he would not file charges against Hill or Espinal even though his office believed a crime had occurred. He said available evidence didn't establish who had hurt the child.
"As a prosecutor, as a father of four, yes, it frustrates me when someone hurts a child and you can't do anything about it," Howe said then. "One of the elements of a crime is you have to prove who that person is who committed the act."
A day later, KCTV in Kansas City aired part of an 11-minute audio file in which Espinal tells Hill earlier this year that when the boy was asked about his injured arm he replied: "Daddy did it."
Hill denied any role in what happened to the child, saying: "He says Daddy does a lot of things."
Espinal also tells Hill their son is "terrified of you."
Hill replies, "You need to be terrified of me, too, b----."
Later, Espinal asks Hill, "What do you do when the child is bad? You make him open up his arms and you punch him in the chest."
Howe has not responded to requests for comment about the audio recording, which the TV station said has been provided to his office. KCTV said the recording is believed to have been made in March when the parents were walking through an airport in Dubai. The station said Espinal sent it to at least one friend and was shared with KCTV "by someone who is concerned about the welfare of the couple's child."
Overland Park police confirmed to NFL.com that they went to the Hill home on Thursday night after receiving an anonymous call. According to police, Espinal was fine and neither Hill nor the child were present.
Kansas City released a similar statement regarding Hill on Friday.
"We were made aware of the audio between Tyreek and Crystal. We were made aware of this this information in real time, just like the general public. We were deeply disturbed and concerned by what we heard. We have great concern for Crystal, we are greatly concerned for Tyreek, but our main concern is with the young child.
"We decided at this time and for the foreseeable future, Tyreek Hill will not take part in any team activities. We are going to gather more information, we're going to evaluate this information, and we will make the right decision regarding Tyreek Hill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
