Tyreek Hill – December 28, 2023
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Thursday, December 28, 2023
WR Tyreek Hill
(How are you feeling health-wise? How did it feel being back out there?) – “It feels good. It feels amazing to be back out there with the guys. I told him every day is a blessing to be able to step on the field, especially with the position that we’re in, fighting for the No. 1 spot in the AFC. It’s great to be able to play the sport that we love each and every day and inspire people all across the world. It’s awesome.”
(What do you think if WR Jaylen Waddle can’t go?) – “He will be a go. I’m going to keep saying it. I’m going to manifest it. I’m going to put that out there in the air. The type of player he is, his mindset, he understands what’s at stake and he knows that he’s our guy. He knows that without him being on the field, it is going to be difficult but if he can’t go, we all support it. It’s a next man up mentality.”
(What has impressed you most this season from QB Tua Tagovailoa from Week 1 now to Week 17?) – “Just how vocal he has become over the weeks. I feel like Tua has done a great job of just stepping outside of his shell and doing things that aren’t comfortable for him. I think he is doing a fabulous job of that. The team needs that because he’s the franchise guy and a lot of guys will follow suit. He’s done a great job of that this year.”
(As much of a competitor as you are, how painful was it to have to miss that Jets game?) – “It sucks, man. It sucked a lot. I wish I could have played. But the most important thing to me is obviously health and also for us to get a win. I’m glad it happened for a lot of reasons, especially for Tua (Tagovailoa) and especially for (Jaylen) Waddle. I’m proud of the way that game went and that also gave me a week to recover. It was a win-win.”
(Did you talk to Cowboys LB Micah Parsons after the game?) – “Nah, he didn’t want to talk to me at all. The only thing he said was ‘Man, just send me your jersey.’ And then he was like, ‘Thanks for the tickets.’ That’s it. Micah is my guy though. I know a lot of people see us going back and forth on Twitter but it’s nothing serious. It’s just play for fun.”
(You mentioned QB Tua Tagovialoa. He’s dealing with a thumb injury. Have you seen him battling through whatever he has to go through?) – “I didn’t even know Tua was hurt. I didn’t even know he was hurt. That just goes to show what type of guy he is. I didn’t even know Tua was hurt.”
(Regardless, is he a guy that is just going to battle through anything?) – “Yeah. I feel like his career speaks volumes of that. Look at what he’s had to go through in his career.”
(Looking back at that Week 2 game you played against the Ravens last year, it was a crazy comeback. What do you think that kind of meant for the team at that moment? There were still a lot of questions about QB Tua Tagovailoa and about you in this offense. What do you think that moment meant?) – “It meant a lot. There were a bunch of new and fresh faces in this building so for us to be able to come back and win that game, it says a lot about the people that we have inside this building. I’m just looking forward to this matchup this year. It’s going to be fun. Who would have thought that both of these teams would be fighting for the No. 1 seed. It’s going to be special.”
(Do you feel like the national media’s approach to debate on the television shows, the sports programs, has changed since you entered the league?) – “What do you mean by that?”
(Well, the way the programs are structured and each person takes a side and seems like folks have to make the boldest statement possible.) – “Yeah man, that’s what TV is. I feel like it’s all about debates. That’s what people want to watch. People don’t want to watch, I guess, the right thing being said. They want to see people getting downplay or I don’t know. I just don’t know. For me though, I just wish former players would be more supportive of current players right now. That’s really all I got to say because as an active player and as a former player, you should know what we have to go through day-to-day. We have families. We have lives. We deal with that. Then we have to come in and go to work and do this and that, and then we also have to perform on Sundays. There’s a whole lot of things that go on. I’m not making excuses for anybody, but as a former player, they should at least know that, because not everybody has had the perfect career. You can go back and critique their careers and stuff like that. But that’s all I could ask for – if guys, former players, would just support us. Guys have bad games all the time. It happens. I’m human.”
(Is there a trick to blocking a lot of that stuff out? Because you’ve been in situations where at this point in the season, you’re fighting for the top seed in the conference going into the playoffs. Have you figured out ways to kind of let those distractions go by the wayside?) – “Have you read my Twitter bio? I’m Twitter’s biggest instigator. (laughter) I love that kind of stuff. I feed into it. Because I feel like that’s what helps me sleep at night. When people trash talk, especially me – I can’t speak for nobody else – but especially me, I live for that. So when I drop a pass, get on me because I’m going to say something back to you. As far as everybody else though, I tell the young guys just stay off that stuff. Don’t pay that stuff no mind, because in two days or three days, all that stuff is going to go away and people are going to be on to the next topic. That’s just how the world is unfortunately. If you keep that mindset and that approach on it, you’ll be alright. But if you try to dwell on it and say ‘oh, this person thinks this much of me.’ Who cares, who cares. The only person that can judge you is one person. And that’s God.”
(So the Colin Cowherd ‘thug’ tweet?) – “I was joking. I was totally joking. (laughter) You see how I added ‘thug’ in there? It’s just to have fun! And I’m sure he’s going to say something back like, ‘oh, can you believe Tyreek Hill said this?’ Yes, give me more followers baby. That’s what I want. (laughter)”
(He said it was hurtful half-jokingly.) – “Oh, he said that? He understands. I’m just having fun. I’m a big fan of Colin Cowherd ever since LaVar Ball was on there.”
