at what point do we enablers say "no"? ...

“Daylight, spent the night?  Without you.

But I’ve been dreamin’?  ‘Bout the loving you do!

I’m over being angry, ‘bout the hell you put me through.

Hey man, bet you can’t?  Treat me right!

You just don’t know?  What you was missing last night!

I wanna see you begging; say forget it just for spite!

I think of you?

Every night and day!

You took my heart,

And you took my pride?

Away …

I hate myself?  For loving you!

Can’t break free?  Of the things that you do!

I wanna walk, but I run back to you!

That’s why I hate myself?

For loving you! …”

-- “I Hate Myself for Loving You” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

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April opens every year on the first of the month, a day known as “April Fools Day”.  And it is a day in which many of us engage in lame, pathetic jokes to try to “fool” our buddies, our friends, our co-workers.  It’s a slapstick, light-hearted day, meant to be taken in good humor.  A day in which people simply try to make you smile for no reason, other than at their own stupidity or poor comedic efforts.

April closes every year on the thirtieth of the month.  Yesterday – Saturday – was April 30^th, 2016.  I wish to God it had been April 1^st, and the event that was Pick 28, Round 5 (Pick 165 Overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft was a lame, pathetic joke.  Or even a cruel, not even remotely kind joke.  Hell, I’d settle for that moment of time, when “Tyreek Hill, WR, West Alabama” flashed on my television screen a little after 2pm CT?

As the Chiefs draft pick, being a joke so tasteless and crass, that even Bob Saget would blush in embarrassment.

Sadly, there was no joke on display Saturday.  The Kansas City Chiefs – a team I not only irrationally love, but a team I double down on that irrationality for, by paying thousands of dollars to support in person, both at Arrowhead and in various other venues across this great country.  (I am going to Houston and Indy this fall, and denver over Thanksgiving weekend is in play.)

The Chiefs – a franchise that not even 3 ½ years ago had one of its own cruelly shoot his fiancé nine times, before driving to Arrowhead and killing himself in front of his coach and general manager .

The Chiefs?  Those Chiefs?  Drafted someone yesterday who not even 2 years ago, beat the sh*t out of his pregnant girlfriend … and his unborn child.

Again, let that sink in.  The one franchise (along with possibly the Ravens) that has NO margin for error when it comes to players with domestic violence issues? 

Took the one player in this draft with known domestic violence issues!

I suppose it is to the credit of (and again, I despise this phrase) Chiefs Kingdom, that the anger and disgust over this indefensible decision, has been so swift, so loud, and so profound, that the Chiefs brain trust held an impromptu presser yesterday evening – a presser that hadn’t been planned to occur, until Monday afternoon.

And I know it is to the detriment of the Chiefs organization, that despite the anger, disgust, and outrage of its paying customers to this indefensible decision?

That this despicable piece of human sh*t is still on the roster, as of this posting.

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The Chiefs have taken a risk on character in their past – and in damned near ANY other situation, I not only would give them the benefit of the doubt, but I’d probably defend the decision.

For example, the Chiefs drafted Justin Houston with the 70^th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, despite Mr. Houston testing positive at the combine for marijuana *.  That has worked out spectacularly well so far, for both player and franchise.  Every indication at the combine was that it was a stupid mistake not likely to be repeated.  Every indication has proven true.

Drug and alcohol issues in your past, don’t concern me too much – mainly because most of us are going to do something stupid involving drugs, alcohol, or both, before we hit the age of 26.  I received my one (and only) DUI in April 2002, when I was 25.  I haven’t had one since – nor do I plan to get one.  I put steps in place to ensure there’d (hopefully) never be another one.  I learned from my mistake.

Just like Mr. Houston did.  Just like millions of us do.  Mistakes of stupidity are forgivable.  And even mistakes of indefensible evil are forgivable.  But – and here’s the biggie – there is a HUGE difference between forgivable, and forgettable.

What Mr. Hill did – and there is no allegedly here; he pled guilty to the charges – what Mr. Hill did?  Is forgivable.  As every act in life is.

But it’s NOT forgettable.

And that’s the distinction the Chiefs failed to realize yesterday.

As Sam Mellinger so perfectly nailed, in his op-ed piece today.

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(*: I meant to send this out yesterday, but was so outraged over the Draft, that it slid through the cracks.  I was doing some shopping yesterday morning, and was approached before entering the Target at Ward Parkway by a nice lady asking if I would sign a few ballot petitions.  One was to upgrade Missouri roads via a tax increase.  The other was to decriminalize possession of marijuana.  You can guess which one I was highly enthusiastic to sign.  (Pause).  What?  (Pause).  Yeah, good point – “highly enthusiastic” does kind of give it away …)

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Allow me to quote directly from the police report, filed with the Tulsa Police Department, on December 12, 2014.

(Direct quotes noted by, uuh, quotes ... and underlined text.)

“Upon arrival, I spoke with (the victim; note that anything in this section that appears in parenthesis, was redacted from the official report), told me that around 2000 hours, she was with her boyfriend, Tyreek Hill, at his residence.  (The victim) said she and Hill got into a verbal argument that became physical.  (The victim) said Hill “threw” her around like a ragdoll.

“(The victim) said during the altercation, Hill had punched her in the face, busted her lip, punched her in her stomach and choked her.  While speaking to (the victim), I could see a mark under her left eye that turned into a darker shade of red/purple during the time I was there.  (The victim) also showed me the inside of her upper lip.  I could see that it was busted, which she said was the result of Hill hitting her.  I could also see the right side of her neck was red where (the victim) said Hill choked her.  (The victim) complained her head hurt along with her stomach where Hill punched her.”

Two paragraphs in, we have undeniable physical evidence that Mr. Hill (a) choked the victim, (b) punched the victim in the eye, (c) punched the victim in the mouth, and (d) punched the victim in the stomach.  That is – by even the most liberal and lenient of interpretations – that is, at a barest minimum, FOUR separate acts of violence.

And that?  Isn’t even the worst of it.

“(The victim) said she and Hill began dating around June of this year and that she is eight weeks pregnant with his child.  (The victim) was very concerned about her pregnancy due to Hill punching her in the stomach.  While speaking with (the victim), I noticed that when she would move, she would wince in pain.”

Jesus God above.  I mean, how can I put this in a manner that even begins to accurately convey what Mr. Hill did.  (Pause).  Fine, I’ll go there.  And folks, this is NOT a referendum on your opinion of abortion, or whether at eight weeks along, it is a human life or a potential human life.  Because I think – irregardless of your opinion on abortion – I think we can all agree with this.

(mr. reason stating the obvious voice) He punched his defenseless child!  

Irregardless of whether the victim intended to take the pregnancy to term or not (and I’m guessing, if she was as concerned about the fetus as the Tulsa Police Department noted her to be?  That she was intent on having the child), Mr. Hill holds not only his girlfriend, and the future mother of his child, but HIS CHILD ITSELF, with so little regard, respect, and love?  

That he punches his completely and totally defenseless child!  Repeatedly!  Continually!  As in, more than once!  

(And doing it once should be so f*cking unacceptable, to anyone with a conscience, that to realize he did it more than once?  Should make every person reading this that roots for the Chiefs?  Vomit where you sit and/or stand, reading this.)

How sick, how f*cking sick, have you got to be, to do that to a kid?

To YOUR kid?

And that?  Beating your defenseless child?

STILL isn’t even the worst of it!

“I asked (the victim) if during their relationship, it had been physical before the altercation tonight.  (The victim) said it had happened a few times, but it had not been this bad.”

Not only did Mr. Hill engage in – again, at a bare minimum – five separate acts of violence in one setting against his girlfriend and his child? 

This wasn’t the first time he did it (at least against his victim)!

What, pray tell, Chiefs organization, makes you think THIS?

Is something we want in our community?

Not even four years after YOU unleashed Jovan Belcher upon us?

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(the first officer's report.  PDF copy via the Tulsa Police Department.)

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The second report of the “incident”, somehow, someway?

Might be worse than the initial one.

“I introduced myself and took photos of the bruises and abrasions to (the victim)’s left eye, left cheek just under the eye, neck, inside the upper left lip and lower right cheek.  (The victim) stated to me that this had happened before back in the summer but she did not report it at that time.”

Re-read that paragraph.  No, really – re-read it.  Is THAT someone you want enjoying the night life in this town over the next few years?  Is THAT someone you want representing the Red and Gold to the community, to the nation, to the world?  Is THAT someone you want even drawing breath?

And yet, we STILL haven’t hit the piece de resistance.  Because, according to Officer Bell, in the second report, the victim noted:

“She explained Tyreek has a volatile temper and that he thought it was okay to punch and shake her.  She told me he had been very violent with her.  She then told me she was pregnant with his child.”

I … I … I’m literally speechless.  Let me re-type that first sentence again, so that it can be hammered home exactly what the Chiefs organization, views as someone deserving of a roster spot:

“He (Tyreek Hill) thought it was okay to punch and shake her.”

He thought THIS was acceptable behavior?

What kind of monster have the Chiefs unleashed on us?

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(the second officer's report.  PDF via the Tulsa Police Department.)

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Rather than judge Mr. Hill based on what others say, however, let’s judge Mr. Hill – as a man, as a person, as a human being – not even by what occurred.

Let’s judge him based on what he believes, post-incident,about himself, about who he seeks to be, about why he believe(s) physically assaulting people is morally acceptable behavior.

Mr. Hill, when asked whether the Chiefs interviewed him about what happened, said yes, and then noted:

“I got questions everywhere I went, so it wasn’t anything new to me.  I would have just told them straight up, “I’m trying to move on from that.  I’m trying to be a better young man.  I’m trying to show who I truly am.”  Stuff like that.”

Stuff like that?  You beat your significant other and your future child senseless – in the significant other’s cases, on multiple occasions – and all you can say is that you’re trying to move on, be better, show who you truly are – "stuff like that"?

More from Mr. Hill, presumably on his conversation with John Dorsey and other assorted Chiefs brain trust:

“The only thing I did say was “I’m sorry.  I messed up.  I embarrassed the program at OSU.  I embarrassed the coaches.  I embarrassed a lot of people back at home.”  That’s it.  That’s how I explained it.  I really don’t want to go into detail.”

You really don’t want to go into detail?  I guess I can understand that – after all, the details are so repulsive, Chiefs Twitter -- and anyone with a conscience -- damned near melted down yesterday in outrage over adding Mr. Hill to the roster.

But here’s an obvious follow up question for Mr. Hill – you claim you embarrassed a lot of people.  Where do you ever admit you embarrassed yourself?

Or do you actually believe this wasn’t an embarrassment to your name, your reputation, and your standing in society, Mr. Hill?

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Next, when the Star asked him what he’d done to avoid a similar incident, Mr. Hill said:

“I just try to choose my friends differently.  I’m not trying to point any fingers at anybody, but I’ve just got to be better at choosing my friends and who I hang around, stuff like that.”

I just try to choose my friends differently?!?!?!  What in Christ’s name do your friends have to do with the fact – that Mr. Hill pled guilty to – that he hit his girlfriend in the eye, the lip, the cheek, and the stomach; that he choked her; and that he “shoved her around like a ragdoll”, which probably explains why the sheetrock had a dent in it?  What do your friends have to do with your choices to do that?

Is he trying to claim that people of influence in his life urged him to do this to his victim?  Is he blaming the victim for what he did to her? 

Where, pray tell, does he say “I need to control my emotions better, and I need to recognize that violence is never an acceptable answer”?

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But hey – let’s get to what really matters: what Mr. Hill thinks of where he is today:

“It’s life-changing, for real, to just be around guys like that I’ve watched on TV all of my life.”

Life changing?  What, pray tell, would you call your actions against your victim and your unborn child, Mr. Hill – a common occurrence?

Again – note that nowhere, never once, does Mr. Hill express genuine and sincere remorse, beyond noting “I messed up”.  No, Mr. Hill – a two year old who sh*ts his diapers “messed up”.  You, sir, have failed in every manner imaginable as a human being – as a man, as a teammate, as a friend, as a companion, as a significant other, as a potential father.  And all you can offer is “I messed up”?!?!?!

THIS is what One Arrowhead Drive wants, as the face of the franchise?

Furthermore, it's life-changing to be around guys "like, that I've watched on TV all of my life"?  Like who, Mr. Hill -- your typical rapist of the week on "Law and Order: SVU"?  You're typical perp of the week on "Criminal Minds"?

Because you, Mr. Hill?

ARE the typical rapist of the week on "SVU", ARE the typical perp on "Criminal Minds", and I guaran-godd*mn-tee you, Mr. Hill, any member of that locker room with a shred of self-respect?

Is FRIGHTENED to be around someone that, "like, that I've watched on TV all of my life".

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NJ Chiefs Fan (who I met last year, and is a really fun, cool dude) posts the Chiefs Headlines every morning for Arrowhead Pride (which, in the interest of full disclosure, is the site I consider to be the best, for everything Chiefs related.)

Here is the link to this morning’s Chiefs headlines.

I’ve rarely if ever been prouder of a Chiefs fan, than I am of Steve (no, not me – NJ Chiefs Fan) this morning.

Read the headlines.  Read how he simply takes the words as reported, the facts as recorded, to let all of us know exactly what the Kansas City Chiefs consider to be a model citizen, a person of character and integrity, someone they want as the face of the organization.

Read what the team we love?  Has become.

And try not to vomit, while doing so.

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I’m not going to even give the Chiefs organization’s “defense” of this indefensible move, a public airing.  If you want to read it, here is the video from Mr. Dorsey and Mr. Reid’s presser last night. 

And again – try not to vomit from utter and total repulsion, while reading it.

(To the Chiefs credit, they didn't bury the video.  It's front and center at kcchiefs.com.)

I’m not going to give the Chiefs “defense” an airing, because what “defense” can they offer, other than “we don’t give a sh*t what our employees do, just so long as there’s a one in one thousand chance they might do what Knile Davis did, to open the playoff game at Houston, for us this season”?

Chiefs?  You already HAVE someone on the roster capable of taking a kickoff 107 yards – Knile Davis.  And last time I checked, he’s never been arrested for even a minor misdemeanor, let alone nearly choking the life out of his significant other, and his child inside of her!

This move is so indefensible?

That Stevo Rule 34?  Has NEVER applied more, in any given situation.

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Stevo Rule 34: “The surest sign you’re making a mistake is when someone drops the “you’d have to be mentally retarded or named Steve to do that” blast on your decision.

Chiefs? 

Your drafting of Tyreek Hill?

Is the reason Stevo Rule 34 was created.

And go figure -- your draft pick reeks so bad?

Said pick is named, after the stench his simply drawing breath, leads one to envision.

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And yet, having noted all this above?

I have to admit the obvious, the Captain Oats in the room.

I’m the WORST possible person?

To point out the utter indefensibility of this decision.

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Because am I going to stop payment on my season ticket installment over this?  No.

Am I going to boycott the Chiefs over this?  No.

Am I going to skip any regular season and/or postseason games, if Mr. Hill is on the active roster?  No.

Is there one godd*mned thing I am going to do about this decision, other than register my outrage?  No.

And sadly?  Decisions like the decision to draft Tyreek Hill?  The Chiefs can feel completely free to do.  Because they know they have us by the proverbial pair.  They know the outrage will filter out over the ensuing hours, and if need be days … because they are betting on the probable fact that the outrage won’t last for weeks, or even months.

They’re betting we’ll look the other way, as we did with Larry Johnson, domestic issue after domestic issue.

They’re betting we’ll look the other way, as we did with Eric Warfield, DUI after DUI.

They’re betting we’ll look the other way, as most fans of most teams do … because after all, what matters more: a dude’s ability to return a kick 107 yards, or a dude’s ability to commit at a barest minimum level five separate felonious acts in a thirty second segment, against a woman carrying his child?

Sometimes, Kansas City Chiefs?

I truly and completely hate myself, for loving you.

I truly and completely hate myself?  For loving YOU!

Never more so, than tonight ...