Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill returned to the team Saturday and was greeted by the "loudest cheers" of the day from fans watching the first day of training camp in St. Joseph, Mo., according to Blair Kerkhoff of the K.C. STAR. Hill had been under investigation this offseason after reports of alleged child abuse had surfaced, but the league ultimately decided not to suspend him. Hill on Saturday seemed to "feed on the energy as he made his way to the turf." After practice, he "stopped to sign autographs and once again was greeted by fans chanting his name." The crowd of 8,000 for the opening day of Chiefs camp was the "largest ever for a practice at the facility and marked only the second time in the last decade the Chiefs have trained here that the parking lots couldn't hold all the traffic." Cars were "parked on the grass," and fans "stood shoulder to shoulder" as the bleachers and hills behind the end zones were full (K.C. STAR, 7/28). USA TODAY's Mike Jones writes the "thunderous cheers" for Hill "felt icky." Most people would "think twice of keeping company with someone with a track record like Hill's." But because he is a "pro athlete for their favorite team, the standard seems different" (USA TODAY, 7/29).
NOT EXACTLY CONTRITE: In K.C., Vahe Gregorian notes in Hill's first interview since being reinstated, his "demeanor and sentiments largely resonated as sincere and contrite and encouraging, to the degree words alone matter." Hill's "generally positive impact, though, was tarnished by one unbecoming sneer." As the K.C. Star's Brooke Pryor "asked him a question, Hill asked, 'What's your name?'" When she answered, he "paused to smirk for effect before, in fact, answering her question." On a day when Hill "said so many of the right things, this action said something else" (K.C. STAR, 7/29).
RIGHT DECISION: Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt said that the team made the "right decision at the right time" with Hill's incident and investigation by the NFL. He said, "With it happening in the offseason, we were able to take the time for the NFL to conduct its investigation, for them to make a decision on his status. That allowed us to sit back and wait for the investigation to be closed." Hunt added, "We were able to get some information from the league in terms of what they learned, and that put us in a position where we can make the decision to have him back on the team." Hunt also said that the team "didn't consider levying its own punishment" on Hill after the league's ruling to not suspend him. Hunt: "We really didn't. We did ask him to stay away from the team this spring. And in a way, that was a penalty of its own sort. But we didn't consider additional discipline beyond that" (K.C. STAR, 7/28).
OR WAS IT? In DC, Jerry Brewer wrote the Chiefs are "either the most understanding organization in football or the most callous when it comes to domestic violence." No matter the Chiefs' "intentions, the cost of doing business in this manner is that they now epitomize the NFL's long history of cluelessness in curbing the violence of its athletes, particularly toward women" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/27). PFT’s Mike Florio said of Hill returning to the team, "They're going to keep a close eye on him, the NFL will, the Chiefs will. I like that he took responsibility, but I also think we all need to be watching this as time goes forward." NBCSN’s Chris Simms: “I've got to think with the Kansas City Chiefs, this is the last strike. I'm sure that Clark Hunt probably said something like that, along those lines, when he said they had a real heart-to-heart, matter-of-fact conversation so I'm sure some of that was laid out there” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 7/29).
