Chiefs ban Hill from football activities after hearing explosive audio

An explosive audio recording aired by a Kansas City television station on Thursday night reportedly includes Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill threatening his fiancee, who accused him of injuring their young son. The Chiefs responded late Thursday night by banning Hill from football activities while they investigate the latest developments.

In the recording broadcast by CBS affiliate KCTV, a voice identified as the boy's mother, Crystal Espinal, tells Hill that her son said regarding who punched him, "Daddy did it." She adds, "He is terrified of you."

A voice alleged to be Hill replies, "You need to be terrified of me, too, b--." The man identified by the TV station as Hill adds, "I didn't do nothing."

Espinal reportedly made the recording as an "insurance policy" and gave it to a friend, who passed it along to the TV station, according to a report from the Kansas City Star. The 11-minute recording, reportedly taped at a Dubai airport, includes Espinal accusing Hill of using a belt on the boy, along with an accusation that "you open up his arms and you punch him in the chest." The Johnson County (Kansas) District Attorney's office now has the recording, the newspaper reported.

Late Thursday night, after the first round of the NFL draft ended, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach held a press conference. "Earlier this evening we were made aware of the audio between Tyreek and Crystal," Veach read from a prepared statement. "We were made aware of this information in real time, just like the general public. We were deeply disturbed by what we heard, and deeply concerned. Now obviously, we have great concern for Crystal, we are greatly concerned for Tyreek, but our main focus, main concern, is with the young child. ...

"I had the chance to call Drew Rosenhaus (Hill's agent), and 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." Veach did not take questions from reporters.

The tape's release came a day after the district attorney's office announced it would not bring charges against him for child abuse and neglect. Officials have said the criminal case is closed but could reopen with new evidence. Hill's attorneys insisted earlier Thursday that Hill is "innocent of any crime."

For his part, the 25-year-old Hill released a statement through his lawyers before the recording came to light. "I love and support my family above anything. My son's health and happiness is my number one priority. I want to thank the Kansas City Chiefs, my attorneys, my agent and my union for supporting me through this. My focus remains on working hard to be the best person for my family and our community I can be, and the best player to help our team win," Hill said in the statement.

Authorities had been investigating incidents -- one on March 5 for child abuse and neglect, and one on March 14 for battery -- at Hill's home in Overland Park, Kan. Both police reports indicated a juvenile was involved. Hill and Espinal were listed on the March 5 police report as "others involved." On the March 14 report, Espinal was listed as "others involved," with a juvenile listed as the victim.

The Kansas City Star reported previously that the couple's son sustained a broken arm in the incident. The Star also reported earlier this week that the boy was recently removed from his parents' custody as part of a family court process called a "child in need of care" case. Despite not being charged with a crime, Hill could be subject to discipline from the NFL.