Dan Le Batard Tyreek Hill An awful announcing rendering of Dan Le Batard and Tyreek Hill (USA Today)

The latest developments regarding Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill have forced Dan Le Batard to look in the mirror.

Literally.

Thursday’s episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz opened with a conversation about Hill, who was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife earlier this week. Hill’s wife, Keeta Hill, reportedly filed for divorce a day later. The incident is the latest in a trend of off-field incidents involving the 5-time first-team All-Pro receiver that dates back to his college days and has followed him throughout his time in the NFL.

Considering Hill’s pattern of behavior, including violence against women, Le Batard says that he’s been too willing to look the other way throughout the 8-time Pro Bowl selection’s time in Miami. And that’s left the Meadowlark Media co-founder especially disappointed in himself for not using his platform to speak up sooner.

“Coming in here, we were all part of Tyreek Hill’s cleanup,” Le Batard said, reiterating his previous stance that HBO’s Hard Knocks series featuring the Dolphins did image rehab for the 31-year-old. “This is a person that we have seen all of this play out in public. He has become a star, he has become a star in Miami. He represents this city and he represents this city this sh*tty.”

Le Batard later added, “We laundered him. Come on, man. Come on! Like Miami did some laundering here. We know what this is. It’s fast. We like it. It makes us feel good. We’ll snort it, we’ll snort it… I am embarrassed looking back at the last three years… I want to look in the mirror and be disgusted by myself.”

The former Miami Herald columnist proceeded to do just that, addressing himself while looking in a mirror in a segment that was admittedly uncomfortable considering the subject matter.

On the one hand, Le Batard’s not entirely wrong, as his willingness to celebrate Hill’s on-field accomplishments in Miami starkly contrasts with his progressive reputation. On the other hand, it’s not as if he let the 31-year-old get off scot-free; in addition to calling out his portrayal on Hard Knocks, he declined to interview Hill because of restrictions that would have been placed on the questions he could have asked.

Ultimately, this situation is hardly unique to Le Batard or Miami, as the world of sports is littered with fans being confronted with their cognitive dissonance regarding athletes’ off-field actions. Many people in Cleveland don’t love rooting for Deshaun Watson but still want to see the Browns win. And while those fans don’t have the same platform as Le Batard, disavowing the Dolphins while being Miami’s most prominent sports voice is undoubtedly easier said than done.

So here Le Batard is, expressing remorse for the role he feels he helped play in helping Hill rehabilitate his image. And while his heart certainly seems to be in the right place, it would be interesting to see how he’d approach the situation should the 2023 receiving yards leader return to his All-Pro form for Miami next season.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.