Kevin Kietzman, the host of Between the Lines on Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City, has been taken off the air indefinitely after making a connection between Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's personal life and wideout Tyreek Hill.
"The thing is, (the Chiefs) probably think (Reid) can fix (Hill), but they thought they could fix him before and they failed," Kietzman said, per Scott Gleeson of USA Today.
"Andy Reid does not have a great record of fixing players. He doesn't. Discipline is not his thing. It did not work out particularly well in his family life, and that needs to be added to this, as we're talking about the Chiefs. He wasn't real great at that either. He's had a lot of things go bad on him, family and players."
Reid's son, Garrett, died from a drug overdose in 2012.
Per ESPN.com, Hill is under investigation by the Kansas Department of Children and Families for "possible child abuse, battery or neglect." Hill's three-year-old son suffered a broken arm.
Hill also pleaded guilty to domestic abuse in 2015 after punching and choking his then-girlfriend Crystal Espinal, who was pregnant at the time.
The reaction to Kietzman's comments was swift and strong:
Danny Parkins @DannyParkinsKevin Kietzman is not good at empathy. Or critical thinking. Or being a decent human being. He’s shown us this time and again but because he owns the radio station he’s untouchable. He’s a stain on a great city.
Patrick Allen @RPatrickAllenThis commentary by @kkwhb (Kevin Kietzman) is abhorrent. You want to bash Andy Reid for football stuff, fine. The insinuation here is way, way out of line. Thanks to @ClayWendler for the audio.
The Kansas City Star @KCStarWHB’s Kevin Kietzman criticized locally, nationally for comment on Andy Reid’s family
Kietzman released an apology to Reid and his family, saying his comments were misinterpreted and not a reference to Garrett's death:
kevin kietzman @kkwhbWith sincerest apologies to coach Andy Reid.
Hill's status is currently unclear. Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports reported that Hill is meeting with the NFL in Kansas City. Per Paylor, "the fact the NFL is expected to meet with Hill this week is an indication a ruling from the league could be on the horizon."
