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Omar Kelly: Tyreek Hill knows he needs to change, problem is history says he won't

Omar Kelly, Miami Herald on

Published in Football

MIAMI — There often comes a point as a parent, mentor, coach, advisor where the lectures clearly aren’t working because the troublemaker continues to get in trouble.

There’s always an excuse, always a story.

Somebody’s usually out to get them. It’s never their fault.

Or they made a mistake and have learned from it.

They will do better, they promise.

That has been Tyreek Hill’s story his whole football career, if not life.

The Miami Dolphins receiver never plays victim, and often takes accountability for his missteps. But trouble and drama consistently finds the All-Pro receiver, and at this point it’s not just a problem for this organization.

Tyreek has become a distraction.

Hill acts like a child starving for attention.

“It’s tough,” Tyreek said addressing his 2025 offseason, which featured him quitting on his team, demanding a trade before asking for forgiveness, being sued by an OnlyFans model whom he allegedly injured and beginning a divorce after his mother-in-law called the police on him during an argument he was having with his ex-wife, and mother of one of his many children (the exact count is unknown).

“Only thing I’m going to say is money is a crazy thing for a lot of people,” Hill said after Wednesday’s organized team activities practice, where he didn’t catch a single pass because of the surgically repaired right wrist that’s in a cast. “For me, I’m just going to let the details handle themselves because at the end of the day the truth always comes out.

“My job is to be a great father to all of my kids and to be the best player and leader I can be for these guys in the locker room. I’m going to stand strong and firm on that.”

Problem is, Hill’s everyday demeanor is cloaked with look-at-me behavior. The 10-year veteran openly admitted he has acted out so much he would be surprised if his teammates voted him a team captain in 2026.

Unfortunately, that’s often the norm we get from diva receivers, playmakers who play the only position in football that has to constantly plead their case, telling quarterbacks and coaches they are open.

They crave attention, and unfortunately that carries over in Hill’s real life.

 

But for once, or maybe twice, Hill seemed genuinely remorseful and reflective this week.

“Well, for one [expletive], I’m going to church more, and I’m doing more therapy. I’ve been finding that more on my side lately,” said Hill, who admitted he started therapy last season.

Problem is, his behavior hasn’t changed.

We have excused Hill’s antics and mishaps since he arrived in Miami via a trade from Kansas City, which clearly wanted to unload Mr. Look-at-me, and turned him into five draft picks (a 2022 first-, second-, two fourth-round selections and a 2023 fifth-round pick) the Dolphins graciously gave away.

Part of the reason Hill’s still here is because of the picks and money (two massive extensions) the Dolphins have used on Hill. But also because coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier need him to save their jobs.

Hill’s the most talented Dolphins player on the team, if not the most talented Dolphins player since Jason Taylor, a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Hill is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and looked first ballot-worthy until last season, when his antics, side babies, lawsuits and now a divorce finally overshadowed underwhelming play.

He needs to get back to the point where the talk is about his on-field performance, his playmaking, the example he sets, not some race with Olympian sprinter Noah Lyles, which the two have hyped up since January, but have yet to set a date for.

McDaniel sidestepped a question about Hill when asked about the race with Lyles, and that’s the norm when it comes to his star receiver, whom he admits needs to be the “pacesetter” for the team and culture.

It would be ideal for the Dolphins to sit Hill down and demand he stop acting out, and solely focus on football. At this point this should be an approach Hill embraces considering his life appears to be unraveling.

“It’s hard. It’s tough going through what I’ve been through, a divorce or whatever,” Hill said. “It’s tough. But at the same time I have to understand what I’m trying to accomplish and what this team is trying to accomplish. I want to be a part of something special. I want to win a playoff game.”

The only reason Hill’s probably still here is because Miami has a better chance of doing that with him on the roster, than without, therefore the Dolphins have to accept what comes with the talent, for at least one more season.

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©2025 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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