Tyreek Hill opens up on his ego and pride getting in the way of relationship with his wife

Tyreek Hill is opening up about some of the inner workings of his high-profile marriage, with the Miami Dolphins wide receiver admitting he finds it hard to drop his pride and be vulnerable with his new wife.

“My grandmother is my rock man. She’s really like a good outlet for me. … She gives me an opinion that’s not biased. Sometimes it’s hard for me and sometimes it’s easy for me to listen to. But those times, it’s hard, it’s the time that I really need to listen, and it’s the same with my wife too though,” Hill said. “It’s the same. And what I learned is you gotta be able to be vulnerable in certain situations, man.

“… It’s hard. It’s hard. I’ma say this: It’s hard sometimes. … When everybody boostin’ you up and tellin’ you you this, tellin’ you you that, man. And it’s hard for you whenever you in a marriage. It’s hard. It was hard for me anyways to be able to drop my pride and drop my ego and be vulnerable to my wife. That’s why there’s problems and things like that.

“But like I said, the more we’ve been together and the more situations we’ve been in to learn each other, it’s become easier for me.”

Hill and Keeta Vaccaro were married in early November during the bye week in the midst of the Dolphins’ 2023 campaign. The pair had been engaged for two years, and Hill has sometimes looked for Vaccaro in the stands and presented her with the football after scoring a touchdown.

Despite that possible distraction, the All-Pro was able to have the best statistical season of his NFL career, with 119 receptions for 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches. He finished second in the voting for AP Offensive Player of the Year, behind San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing all the time off the field, however. A report surfaced that after just two months of marriage, Hill filed a petition for divorce, which he denied. In addition, he reportedly was accused of smashing a cigar in Vaccaro’s face, with his wife allegedly saying she felt “bullied, threatened and verbally abused.”

On top of all of that, a winter fire at Hill’s home reportedly was caused by children playing with a lighter.

Dealing with all of that, Hill still was the dynamic leader of the Dolphins offense, helping the team reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Miami was in line to win the AFC East title but stumbled down the stretch and closed the 2023 regular season with two consecutive losses, including the finale to the Buffalo Bills which decided the division title.

It then went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Kansas City Chiefs, Hill’s former team. He managed just five catches for 62 receiving yards and a touchdown grab in the 26-7 defeat that was played in some of the coldest conditions in NFL history.

This offseason, the Dolphins have added wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to join Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and according to former NFL player Chad Johnson, that trio is capable of all gaining 1,000 yards each in the coming 2024 NFL season.