Clark Hunt Reflects on Chiefs' Decision to Sign Tyreek Hill to New Contract

Kansas City Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt believes Tyreek Hill's behavior around the team this season validates their decision to give him a long-term contract extension in September.

Per ESPN's Adam Teicher, Hunt discussed what he saw from Hill throughout the 2019 campaign that makes him believe the star wide receiver has turned over a new leaf:

"His first year with us, there were some question marks coming into the league. We never had any issues with him. He always was where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing, accountable to the team, listening to his coaches, [being] a good teammate.

"I think we've seen that grow the last three or four years. Certainly, I sense a heightened level of maturity from him this year, which is probably a byproduct of the challenges he went through earlier this year."

In March, Hill and his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, were the subject of a police investigation into alleged child abuse and neglect involving their three-year-old son, who suffered a broken arm last January. 

Per Angie Ricono of KCTV5, portions of an audio recording featuring Espinal and Hill accusing each other of "troubling behavior" was released. 

In one portion of the recording, Hill denied any wrongdoing with the couple's son. 

"He says Daddy does a lot of things," Hill said.

"A three-year-old is not going to lie about what happened to his arm. ... He is terrified of you," Espinal responded.

"You need to be terrified of me, too, b---h," he replied. "That's why you can't keep a f--king man."

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach announced Hill was suspended from all team activities pending results of the investigation. 

In June, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe told Laura Bower and Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star in an email that the case against Hill and Espinal was no longer an active investigation. However, he asserted that his statement from an April 24 press conference—that the couple's son had been hurt but his office couldn't prove who did it—remained true.

The NFL announced on June 19 that Hill wouldn't face a suspension because "based on the evidence presently available" he didn't violate the personal conduct policy. 

In 2015, Hill pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation after he assaulted Espinal when she was eight weeks pregnant with their son. He received three years probation and was required to attend domestic violence prevention classes, as well as pay a fine and restitution.

Hill, who could have been an unrestricted free agent after this season, signed a three-year extension worth up to $54 million on Sept. 6, two days before the start of the 2019 campaign. He started 12 games during the regular season and both of Kansas City's playoff wins.