Tyreek Hill’s NFL return seemed imminent and then his divorce trial began with domestic abuse allegations
Multiple reports that surfaced recently linked Tyreek Hill to a Kansas City Chiefs return and one report even quoted his agent as saying he expected the former All-Pro wide receiver to sign with a team in the coming days. That’s before Hill’s divorce trial began Tuesday.
And testimony from Lakeeta Vaccaro, the player’s estranged wife, outlined incidents of domestic abuse. Her suit complaint outlined eight instances of abuse.
The divorce itself is of no interest to the NFL. But the allegations of abuse definitely are and could derail or at least significantly delay Hill’s return to the field under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.
Keeta Vaccaro attends The Model Experience’s Fashion Week Festival at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2023. (Getty Images)
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Hill is a free agent but the NFL review of his domestic violence allegations by Vaccaro is ongoing with no timetable for a conclusion, a league source confirmed to OutKick.
Tuesday’s accounting of those allegations in open court almost definitely will be taken into account as part of that review that will determine Hill’s status to play when healthy.
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Vaccaro, who is suing Hill for punitive and compensatory damages, testified during direct examination that in July 2024, she and Hill visited the ESPN campus in Orlando.
Vaccaro said Hill became upset because she did not get professional hair and makeup done for potential interviews there.
Later, at their hotel, Hill remained upset and became so heated he tried to punch her stomach, Vaccaro testified. She said she blocked the blow by putting her hands on her stomach, but the strike did hit her hands.
Vaccaro was pregnant at the time.
Vaccaro added that Hill told her that he didn’t want the baby.
Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill looks toward the field on the sideline before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sept. 29, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, file)
Vaccaro, the sister of former NFL safety Kenny Vaccaro, alleged a history of abuse during her time with Hill. Their 18-month marriage, she testified, was punctuated by periods of relative peace followed by trouble.
“During this whole period, 18-month marriage, it was a consistent two-week on, two-week off situation,” Vaccaro testified. “Of course we had our moments when it was, you know, beautiful.
“But then the two weeks of, when it went back to this angry man, it was bad.”
Vaccaro said Hill once picked her up physically to throw her out of their house. She said he once pushed her into a car door during an argument. She accused Hill of grabbing and hurting her breasts during multiple arguments.
She accused Hill of once leaving her on the side of a road after an argument in their car.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) works out during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
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Hill’s counsel tried to establish discrepancies between Vaccaro’s deposition and her testimony on Tuesday and pressed the point no physical evidence of abuse exists. And Hill’s lawyer said that while the allegations are serious, taking them seriously does not mean accepting them merely because they were made.
Hill has a history of alleged or proven abuse against women:
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- December 2014–2015: While at Oklahoma State, Hill was arrested after his pregnant girlfriend, Crystal Espinal, accused him of punching and choking her. He pleaded guilty in 2015 to domestic assault and battery by strangulation and received three years’ probation. The case was later dismissed and expunged in 2018, but the guilty plea was an actual court disposition at the time.
- 2019: Hill and Espinal were investigated after an audio recording surfaced in which they discussed their son’s broken arm and Hill made threatening remarks toward Espinal. Prosecutors ultimately filed no charges, saying they could not determine who committed a crime. The NFL also investigated and did not suspend Hill.
- 2024: British influencer Sophie Hall sued Hill, alleging that in 2023 he violently tackled her during a football drill at his Florida home and fractured her leg. This was a civil allegation, not a criminal conviction. Hill and Hall settled the suit on May 8, 2026, but no settlement details were disclosed.
- 2024–2025: Vaccaro reported domestic disputes to police. In one 2024 incident, she alleged Hill flicked or smashed a cigar into her face but police made no arrest. In April 2025, police responded to the couple’s high-rise condo after her mother alleged Hill threw a laptop and grabbed the couple’s baby and held it near a balcony. The couple gave conflicting accounts, and no charges were filed, but local television stations obtained video of Hill indeed holding the child on the balcony railing.
Tuesday’s proceedings wrapped up just after 5 p.m. and neither Hill nor Vaccaro spoke with reporters afterward.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
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