This past Thursday night, junior Oklahoma State All-Big 12 running back Tyreek Hill was arrested in Stillwater on complaints of domestic assault.
According to a report from the Stillwater Police Department, the victim stated that she and Hill were arguing when the dispute became physical. The woman told police that Hill threw her around “like a rag doll.” She also stated that Hill allegedly punched her numerous times in the face and stomach, put both hands around her neck, banged her head against the wall and then threw her to the ground. He then allegedly picked the woman up by her hair, putting her into a headlock. The woman says she cried out, “Let me go, I can’t breathe,” several times before Hill ceased.
The woman said that since she was eight weeks pregnant with Hill’s child, she decided to visit the emergency room afterwards, as she was concerned about the fetus after being hit in the stomach. Police were called to the hospital, and the woman gave her account to them. Hill was apprehended at his home a short time later without incident.
Less than 24 hours later, he was dismissed from the team.
The news came as a shock to fans of Oklahoma State football and others in the college football world who had followed Hill during his highlight-filled first FBS season.
This is after all, the man that just six days prior had propelled himself into Cowboy lore after returning a punt 92 yards for a touchdown with under a minute remaining in the season finale against in-state rival Oklahoma, evening the score at 35-35. OSU went on to win in overtime, and Hill became an instant hero to the orange faithful.
This is the man that arrived on campus as the Big 12’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year, and subsequently won the postseason version of the award this week as well. His play was a much needed positive to a team that finished 6-6 in a disappointing rebuilding season.
This is a man who is also a gifted track athlete. Hill won the 200 meter dash at the Big 12 championships this spring, and finished 5th nationally.
But the thing is, none of that matters now.
This is a man who has now been added to an extremely long list of athletes who have been arrested after assaulting their significant other. Men who have crossed a line that no man should ever cross.
By now, it’s sadly almost something that we are all used to by now. A text from a news site, a link shared on Facebook, or maybe a headline scrolling across the bottom of the television screen: “So-and-so player from so-and-so team was arrested last night after allegedly attacking his girlfriend/wife.”
Such news is no longer a surprise.
The problem, whether many sports fans want to admit or not, is that when such news comes out like this about a well-regarded or accomplished athlete, and they are a fan, one’s initial reaction is usually something along the lines of “I hope the girl is lying,” or, “maybe she attacked him first,” or, “hopefully it’s not that bad and he’ll miss just a game or two or at worst be able to come back next season.” Maybe even a vindicating and exonerating version of all three combined.
That is not the appropriate reaction.
To be fair, part of that thought process can probably be attributed to the initial shock. When it’s something that awful and it involves someone we revere and thought we at least somewhat knew, of course we try to come up with some explanation in our heads that could explain away and blunt the edge of such demoralizing news. It’s a terrible reality to face, to know that the person you’ve been cheering on all this time was also doing despicable things behind closed doors.
Now, it is worth noting that the accused party is innocent until proven guilty, if there is no admission initially. We all know that. But we also know that the overwhelming majority of the time, the accusations prove to be true. And even worse: it probably wasn’t the first time.
In the case of Hill, it allegedly wasn’t.
The girlfriend told police that Hill has a “volatile temper and that he thought it was okay to punch and shake her.” She also stated that “this had happened before back in summer but she did not report it at the time.”
Those are hard words to hear.
It’s no secret that the issue of domestic violence is one that has been largely disregarded and covered up in the sports world. Many players in all different leagues and levels have engaged in such acts for years, and unfortunately the majority have gotten away with it. Those that actually got punished were faced with petty fines and one game suspensions more often than not.
Jerry Angelo, former general manager of the Chicago Bears, admitted in a recent interview with USA Today that NFL teams routinely overlooked “hundreds and hundreds” of domestic violence cases during his 30 years in the league.
“I made a mistake,” Angelo lamented. “I was human. I was part of it. I’m not proud of it.”
His description of the process a team would take after hearing about such cases is a good example of how most teams and leagues have always handled the issue in years past. Angelo stated that a common approach after being informed of a player’s involvement in a domestic violence occurrence was to ask, “OK, is everybody OK? Yeah. How are they doing? Good. And then we’d just move on. We’d move on.”
Angelo said that the recent Ray Rice case was responsible for changing his outlook on the issue. The Ravens star running back was initially suspended by the NFL for two games after being arrested in February for assaulting his then-fiancé, now-wife Janay Palmer in an elevator at a casino in Jersey City. Rice’s attorney described the event at the time as a “minor physical altercation.” Nearly seven months later, when surveillance video was released showing Rice actually knocking Palmer unconscious, the NFL instead suspended him indefinitely.
The footage had a changing impact on Angelo.
“It was the pictures, it was the video,” he said. “We had never seen that before. I had never seen video on domestic violence. I think that’s what got everybody’s attention.”
The video has no doubt had an effect on the general population as well. To hear or read about an athlete getting in trouble with the law over domestic violence is one thing. We’ve grown callous to it in some ways. But to actually see it play out? To see a woman lying on the floor of an elevator after her own fiance has literally punched her out cold, and then had to drag her unconscious body out? And from a formerly squeaky-clean NFL superstar nonetheless? Suddenly the situation is all too real.
The Ray Rice video has seemed to turn the tide of how teams deal with the issue, and that is no doubt due to the massive public backlash and pressure that followed. In years past, programs and teams such as Oklahoma State might have delayed taking action on a player of Hill’s caliber, waiting for the legal system to play out, or perhaps hoping that by the next season, all would be forgotten and/or forgiven.
Not this time. Finally, the tide is turning. Hill’s quick dismissal is a decision that Oklahoma State should be commended for. More teams would be wise to follow suit in the future. No matter how much it hurts the team.
So if you’re an Oklahoma State fan, or just a Tyreek Hill fan, and your first thought when you heard the news of his dismissal was that you’re disappointed that you won’t get to see him display his flashy speed anymore or be able to do things for your team to help them get wins, don’t be.
Ask yourself what you should really be disappointed about.
Instead, consider being disappointed that its even gone on for this long with him, and that it took this last horrific incident for the truth to come out.
Be disappointed that the father of a woman’s baby saw it fit to put his hands on her in this way.
Be disappointed that a young pregnant woman has to deal with the fact that she had to be the one that gave the information that led to her own baby’s father’s arrest. An arrest that will most likely end his college career in two sports, just as the spotlight was beginning to really shine on him.
Be disappointed that a young man has jeopardized a promising career because he can’t control his temper around a woman he supposedly cares for.
But most of all, be disappointed that while his abuse was revealed, there are still thousands of cases every day that nobody will ever hear about.
Domestic violence continues to be a plague in our country, and it knows no restrictions from income, race, profession, campus, age, or any other variable. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that 39,028,000 women have experienced physical violence from their partner at some point in their lives. 18,000 women have been killed by men in domestic violence disputes since 2003.
Kind of makes first downs and punt return touchdowns seem irrelevant, huh?
Domestic violence is a plague that must be eradicated. Public opinion, critique, and awareness have proven to be valuable weapons in the fight already. The best remedy after all, is prevention. Perhaps one day Hill can play a positive roll as well. I certainly hope he does. As for now, he must face the consequences and decide what kind of man he really wants to be.
Although our culture has progressed significantly on a number of issues in recent history, domestic violence has always been one of the anchors that we just can’t seem to cut loose just yet. It is a dark and well kept secret that is finally getting the exposure it deserves, and that is partly due to the recent high profile cases involving athletes. In a strange way, it’s something to be thankful for.
Hopefully, the case of Tyreek Hill will serve as yet another reminder of how widespread the problem continues to be, and bring attention to the fact that there are real and devastating consequences to be had, no matter how good you are on a field.
