Originally Posted by :
Now that the full 11-minute recording of Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his now former fiancee, Crystal Espinal, talking about violence in their relationship has been aired, many fans are saying wow, this changes everything.
It does? That Hill, who didn’t know Espinal was taping him, denies ever hitting her or their son in what he thought was a private conversation is neither surprising nor exculpatory.
Abusers typically tell not only the police but friends, family, therapists, priests and even themselves they’ve never done anything wrong.
And if anything, the fact that Hill now says he didn’t hit punch or choke Espinal in 2014 makes him look worse rather than better. He pleaded guilty to those charges, publicly apologized, went through extensive therapy and declared himself reformed after probation. If he’s now back to saying that none of this ever happened, that’s not just a lie but a worrying one.
“I didn’t touch you in 2014,” he says on the tape. “And put that on everything I love, bro. That’s the real truth.”
That Espinal isn’t screaming at him that no, it’s not the truth, real or otherwise, is taken by some supporters as proof that he is innocent.
But why a woman who has been injured by him before and he’s threatening to hurt again might not do that should be obvious.
When she instead repeatedly asks him where her bruises came from if he never hit her, he doesn’t answer because there isn’t an answer that he likes well enough to repeat.
On Thursday, Espinal filed a petition in Johnson County seeking a paternity test for their newborn twins. She has full custody of them — they live with her — and she is asking for child support and only supervised visits for Hill. Her lawyer in the matter is legal counsel for SAFEHOME, a Johnson County group that supports survivors of domestic violence.
The NFL, meanwhile, seems ready to let Hill off with a brief suspension because the legal case against him isn’t going anywhere, but these things are still true:
Hill’s son was removed from his home after a child abuse investigation was launched. The Johnson County district attorney said the 3-year-old child had been hurt, but he didn’t have enough proof to prosecute.
On the tape, we heard Hill threaten the mother of his children with physical violence: “You need to be scared of me, too, dumb bitch.” He berates and belittles, calls her “bro” and “bitch” and of course, claims she ruined his life.
Denial of all wrongdoing is so standard in abuse cases that just a look at Thursday’s Star provides other examples, including that of Scott Hacker, the now former Parkville police officer charged with domestic violence after allegedly shooting his gun inside his home, throwing the woman who called 911 onto the couch, grabbing her by the throat and blaming her for “ending his career” by calling for help. Both before and after the cops arrived, he said he hadn’t shot the gun or touched her. But oops: A security camera in the living room apparently recorded the assault.
What Espinal was trying to get was the audio equivalent of that video.
If the NFL lets Hill back on the field this season, it will send the message that making threats and showing you’ve learned nothing from probation is no real problem, as long as you can run fast enough. The help he needs is not more denial, but just the opposite.
To the rest of you who are intent on seeing Hill as the victim, KCTV as a villain for not immediately releasing the full tape, and Espinal as a “manipulator” for wanting evidence to back her up in court, we could suggest some reading on the well-researched subject of abuse. But why, when you seem to prefer not to know?
Originally Posted by PHOG:
Just withhold all proceeds from their sponsors. :-)
And make it clear to said sponsors why.
This is the crux of the solution. I'm not in Kansas City, but can someone take a peek and see who the advertisers are for the Star and the Channel 5 people? I'd like to have a few words with them. [Reply]
One of the many places Kiley’s missing the boat here: This isn’t people pissed off over a difference of opinion.
This is people pissed off that a major media outlet willfully decided to edit source material in an effort to frame the narrative in the manner that wanted to present. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
brandon kiley: "i've been very uncomfortable with kc star's editorial board thoughts...and also with the way some others have responded to those thoughts"
What a fucking cunt. Clay, you need to collect all contact info. for every despicable fuck in this mess and start up the new thread. Get that shit in the OP so we can pound these pussies relentlessly. [Reply]
Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15:
One of the many places Kiley’s missing the boat here: This isn’t people pose diff over. Difference of opinion.
This is people pissed off that a major media outlet willfully decided to edit source material in an effort to frame the narrative in the manner that wanted to present.
Exactly. I suspect they're probably trying to convince themselves that it's a football issue that we're disagreeing with, and it's not. Football merely raised the ethics issue to a level that caught our attention.
The bottom line is that we disapprove of unethical actions by news organizations to suit the personal agendas of their managers. [Reply]
Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15:
One of the many places Kiley’s missing the boat here: This isn’t people pose diff over. Difference of opinion.
This is people pissed off that a major media outlet willfully decided to edit source material in an effort to frame the narrative in the manner that wanted to present.
This.
And they continue to double down - no, TRIPLE down - with no apology.
Nobody's attacking Vahe or Sam lately. Why? They presented balance in their latest pieces. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
Exactly. I suspect they're probably trying to convince themselves that it's a football issue that we're disagreeing with, and it's not. Football merely raised the ethics issue to a level that caught our attention.
The bottom line is that we disapprove of unethical actions by news organizations to suit the personal agendas of their managers.
The only reason these people give a shit about this is because Tyreek is who he is.
If this was my local fucking cashier getting raked over the coals unfairly I'd go to bat for him, too.
Only thing is, they wouldn't give a shit if that guy was getting screwed by a bunch of criminals. It wouldn't give them a single click.
"Hey, I have an audio recording of Tom, checkout guy at Pricechopper at 85th and Wornall, telling me I should be terrified of him. Can you please air this and help me out."
Originally Posted by FAX:
We're fighting against a classic fallacy. One that is problematic for the good guys ... for example ...
If the citizenry says, "You are manipulating information and ignoring facts in order to present a preconceived narrative! That is not virtuous."
The media says, "You care more about winning football games than the horrors of domestic violence! Women must be heard and respected!"
Then, if we say, "No, we simply want fair and accurate reporting and the presumption of innocence which everyone deserves."
The media counters with, "This isn't about sports. You wouldn't care if he wasn't a football player. We're thinking of the welfare of the child."
That, my friends, is the kerfuffle we find ourselves in.
FAX
They're full of shit, they change news to suit their agenda, they suck, and their sponsers should be made aware of this through their pocket book. [Reply]
Originally Posted by : In Coverage: Easily baited by the eyes prize of Patrick Mahomes. Takes bad angles. Has shown the ability to have decent coverage on slow breaking routes stories but struggles to provide solid coverage against receivers with #CheetahSpeed.
In Run Support: Often washed out by (twitter account) blocks. Struggles with traffic. Doesn’t gets reads processed as desired. Slow to recognize and react to misdirection. Continues to backpedal when they should be moving forward. Always looking to make the “big hit”, often whiffs.
Player Comparison: Anthony “The Hit Man” Hitchens
Conclusion
The Star struggles in most aspects of the game. While once a dominant player, they have aged poorly and no longer have the speed to keep up with an evolving league. They should likely be consider a cap click casualty. Its time to let the new talent that has been developing get a chance to get a shot at starter reps.
