Chiefs owner praises Hill's growth after offseason 'challenges'

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt applauded Tyreek Hill for his progress this year after the personal "challenges" the wide receiver faced in the offseason.

"His first year with us, there were some question marks coming into the league,'' Hunt said, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher. "We never had any issues with him. He always was where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing, accountable to the team, listening to his coaches, (being) a good teammate.

"I think we've seen that grow the last three or four years. Certainly I sense a heightened level of maturity from him this year, which is probably a byproduct of the challenges he went through earlier this year."

Hill and his ex-fiancee, Crystal Espinal, were under investigation in March for the possible abuse of their 3-year-old son. In April, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe opted not to press charges against the pair.

Howe said he believed a crime took place but authorities didn't have the information to prove who inflicted the injury, which reportedly was a broken arm.

An audio recording of a conversation between Hill and Espinal surfaced in July. The former couple discussed how their son was hurt and Hill denied the 2014 assault of Espinal, which he pleaded guilty to prior to entering the NFL.

The NFL announced later in July that Hill wouldn't be suspended under the personal conduct policy.

Kansas City subsequently rewarded the wide receiver with a three-year contract reportedly worth $54 million just prior to the start of the season.

"Part of it was our experience with him over the four years he had been with us," Hunt said when asked about Hill's extension and why the team waited until September. "We knew him as an individual. We clearly wanted as much information as possible from the legal proceedings that were going on. We wanted to make sure he was in a good place emotionally and that there weren't going to be any more surprises down the road."

Hill racked up 58 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 regular-season games. He found the end zone twice in Kansas City's win in the AFC Championship Game.

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