Former NFL star Tyreek Hill’s estranged wife testified last week that he tried to punch her pregnant belly, ripped out her hair and destroyed her belongings during an argument in a Connecticut hotel room in July 2024.
Lakeeta Vaccaro fought back tears while testifying Oct. 6, the first day of the ongoing civil trial in Miami, telling jurors that the alleged abuse in Connecticut was “probably the worst” she suffered during her marriage to Hill, whom she has accused of several incidents of domestic violence.
In his Oct. 8 testimony, Hill admitted to telling Vaccaro that he could “get people to hurt her,” ESPN reported. He denied trying to punch her stomach or pulling out her hair, but acknowledged pushing her into a wall during a separate intimate encounter that he said was initiated by her, according to ESPN.
In a divorce petition filed last September, Vaccaro alleged one of the incidents took place in a Bristol hotel room on July 12, 2024 – a day before Hill hosted a youth football camp at Maloney High School in Meriden.
The couple had traveled to Connecticut for an event at ESPN’s Bristol headquarters, Vaccaro testified last week.
During the event, she said, Hill became upset after she declined to join him and his mother for a TV interview. She said she was pregnant, had “terrible acne” and was “not feeling my best.”
“As soon as I didn’t do what he said he wanted me to do, he just stopped talking to me the whole time,” Vaccaro said.
After the visit, she testified, the couple returned to their hotel, where Hill grew angrier as she explained why she did not want to appear on TV.
Vaccaro said Hill swung at her stomach, but she blocked the punch with her hands, and he told her, “I don’t want the baby.” She also testified that he dragged her by the hair and pulled some of it out, threw her cellphone at her and broke items in her purse, including her sunglasses, which were shown in court as she spoke.
“I was pregnant and he treated me like I was a man, it was so violent,” Vaccaro said, crying. “It hurt me so bad.”
She broke down several times while trying to describe the alleged abuse, which she said lasted about 30 minutes. At one point during the encounter, she said, she realized that Hill was “serious” and worried “this could be bad if I keep allowing myself to be in this position.” She called it “probably the worst” of the times she said Hill physically abused her.
Later, she testified, Hill encouraged her to join his family for dinner, wanting her to “show a straight face and act like nothing happened.” She said she initially declined but changed her mind about an hour later after calming down, though she was quiet for most of the night.
Vaccaro testified that she didn’t tell anyone at the time because she “honestly didn’t know what to do.” She said she later told Hill’s grandparents, but they “dismissed” her.
The civil proceedings, which resumed this week, were the latest instance of legal trouble for Hill, whose career has been plagued by several off-the-field domestic incidents.
In December 2014, while playing football at Oklahoma State, Hill was arrested after police accused him of assaulting his then-girlfriend, Crystal Espinal, who was pregnant. The school subsequently dismissed him from the team. Hill eventually pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation and received three years’ probation. The conviction later was dismissed after he completed his probation requirements.
In 2019, Kansas authorities investigated Hill after his 3-year-old son broke his arm. Prosecutors declined to file charges, saying they couldn’t prove who caused the boy’s injury. The NFL also investigated Hill but chose not to discipline him.
Hill, an eight-time Pro Bowler, last played for the Miami Dolphins in 2025, when a severe leg injury cut short his season. He has been rehabbing and reportedly is seeking an NFL comeback this season.
An NFL spokesperson said the league is reviewing Vaccaro’s allegations against him.
This article originally published at Tyreek Hill’s estranged wife testifies about alleged abuse in Connecticut hotel.
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