The Miami-Dade Police Department has launched an internal investigation after Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained on his way to his team’s NFL season opener. A video aired on ESPN showed Hill lying face down on the ground and being handcuffed by police near the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, reportedly due to a traffic offense.
Hill was later released and went on to score a touchdown in the Dolphins’ 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, celebrating by mimicking being handcuffed. Following the incident, one of the officers involved has been placed on administrative duties pending the investigation. The Dolphins reported that several teammates had stopped to offer Hill support during the situation.
Defensive tackle Calais Campbell told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe that he was also placed in handcuffs while attempting to deescalate the situation. Speaking after the game, Hill expressed confusion about why he was stopped and handcuffed, stating, “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mum didn’t raise me that way. I didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. I’m still trying to figure it out.”
The 30-year-old Super Bowl champion added, “I was just doing what my uncle always told me to do if I was in a situation like that — just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel. Gotta be careful man. They said I was speeding, but I don’t know. They said I was speeding, reckless driving, whatever.”
When informed by a reporter that one of the officers had been placed on leave, Hill responded, “That should tell you everything you need to know.”
Hill expressed a desire to turn the incident into a positive outcome for both himself and the police, emphasizing the importance of using his platform to bring about change. “I do want to use this platform to say, ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?’ Everybody has bad apples in every situation, but I want to be able to use this platform to figure out a way to flip this and make it a positive on both ends, my end and Miami-Dade, and that way we can team together and do something positive for the community.”
