MIAMI -- Tyreek Hill took the stand in his assault and battery civil trial Thursday, saying he was "deeply ashamed" for having threatened his wife's safety by saying he was "able to get people to hurt her." But the former NFL All-Pro wide receiver denied allegations that he ever physically abused his estranged wife.
The testimony came on the third day of the Miami civil case filed by his estranged wife, Lakeeta Vaccaro.
"I wish I could have handled that situation a whole lot better," Hill said about one of several 2024 arguments the two had. "I wish I could have, you know, talked to my wife better. ... I just wish I could just take it all back."
The NFL says it is currently reviewing Hill's personal conduct, while his agent told ESPN that Hill could be close to negotiating a new NFL contract after recovering from knee surgery.
Hill, dressed in a light color knit sport shirt with an earring dangling from his right ear, told jurors he made the statement to his wife "in the heat of the moment" and that he had no intention of hurting her.
His attorney asked whether he ever hit, scratched or shoved Vaccaro, pulled out her hair, spit in her face or punched toward her stomach while she was pregnant, as Vaccaro alleged in sworn testimony. Hill denied each allegation.
Vaccaro previously testified that Hill left her on the side of the road after a May 2024 event, and she ordered a car service to get her home. Hill told jurors Vaccaro demanded to be let out of the car, and he complied but said he waited as her car service arrived and followed it back to the couple's home.
During the nearly two hours of direct testimony, Hill repeatedly denied abusive behavior and claimed that most of their disagreements surrounded financial concerns he had with respect to a post-nuptial agreement he claims she would not sign. He also accused Vaccaro of stealing money from a family bank account even though he had given her access to a "family card" for household purchases such as groceries.
"She was stealing money during the marriage," said Hill. "She was getting $15K [a month], but she was stealing around like $60K a month. And I would see that, and then I would say something."
Hill also testified about the final fight the couple had before Vaccaro filed for divorce in April 2025. The couple's nanny camera recorded audio and video of the encounter, which was played before the jury.
The nanny camera recorded expletives repeated between the couple and Vaccaro screaming at Hill to "stop." At one point in the video, Hill is heard saying "I'm going to get my daughter and get the f--- out." Hill is seen on the camera taking his daughter out of her crib as she wakes up from a nap.
Vaccaro's mother was in the condominium at the time and testified earlier Thursday to what she witnessed and heard. The mother said she never saw Hill physically abuse her daughter at any time.
Hill said the argument began after he asked Vaccaro about the money she was taking out of the family account, which then shifted to him asking when her mother would move out of the condo the couple shared.
"I don't want to talk to my wife like that. I don't want to talk to my mother-in-law like that," Hill said of the nanny camera video. "I want to be able to have good dialogue, and I wish I could just take it all back. I wish I could rewind that moment and just redo it all, man, but I can't."
He called that moment the "make or break of our marriage."
Hill told jurors he went to approximately five couples therapy sessions in an effort to save the marriage, only for his wife to stop going because, he said she felt "the therapist is just a fan" of Hill's and "she's always on your side."
During questioning by his lawyers, Hill tried to paint a relatable figure of himself. Hill is currently unsigned and says he spends most of his days as a "gymnastics dad" and tries to stay involved in all eight of his children's lives as a "stay-at-home dad." He also spoke of Sundays playing pickleball with his grandparents, who raised him and who he refers to as mom and dad.
He also described a financially difficult childhood when he was homeless during his senior year of high school and worked an after-school job to help support his grandparents. He said that experience shaped him and his work ethic.
Hill said that when he first met Vaccaro, he was enamored with her ambition. The couple became engaged on July 4, 2021, but ended the relationship a short time later. They eventually reconnected and got married in November 2023. Two months later, in January 2024, Hill says he filed for divorce, partly due to Vaccaro's refusal to sign a post-nuptial agreement. Hill eventually withdrew the divorce claim, and the couple entered into therapy.
Hill also testified that following their April 2025 separation the pair successfully co-parented their daughter but that he became uncomfortable around his wife when she initiated an intimate encounter.
Hill told the court he was "embarrassed" by the encounter.
"I told her that night, I said, don't you ever touch me in your life,' Hill said. "I pushed her against the wall, and I tried to force her to get off me. I created a hole in the wall trying to force her to get off me that night."
Hill testified that he started bringing police officers with him after that night.
"I go pick up baby girl, you know, the next day, literally with the cops," said Hill. "She wearing lingerie. She wasn't expecting that."
Asked why he wanted to speak in court, Hill told jurors, "Unfortunately with all the false allegations I think it's time for me to kind of come tell my story. ... there are always two sides to every story."
Vaccaro's attorney is scheduled to begin questioning Hill as court proceedings continue Friday.
ESPN's Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.