Tyreek Hill Pulled Over by Police Before Dolphins Game, Officer Then Placed on Leave – Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins tight end Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and left face down in the street outside the team’s stadium after being pulled over for speeding and driving recklessly Sunday morning before the Dolphins’ first game of the season, an incident that startled the star quarterback and led to a police suspension.

The officer, whose identity has not been released, was one of at least three people involved in Hill’s arrest. Some fans saw Hill being handcuffed and filmed him on his way to the game, and quickly it went viral on social media.

Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie V. Daniels said she has launched an internal investigation.

When told after the game that the officer had been placed on probation pending the outcome of the investigation, Hill said, “That should tell you everything you need to know.”

Defensive point guard Calais Campbell was added to the lineup, and was also briefly handcuffed after coming to the aid of his teammate: “It makes sense given the situation.”

Hill, who said he respected police officers and wanted to be one when he retired from football, admitted he had “no idea” why police handcuffed him.

“I wasn’t naughty, because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “I didn’t swear. I didn’t do anything like that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

Hill was a star on the field for the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 130 yards — including 80-yard touchdown which helped Miami to a 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill celebrated the result by pretending to be handcuffed.

Hill, who is black, said he didn’t want to use his fame to get out of the situation, but he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t been an NFL star.

“I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets a little iffy when you’re doing this,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? God knows what that guy or guys would have done. I just made sure I did what my uncle always told me to do when I’m in that situation: ‘Just listen, put your hands on the wheel and just listen.’”

Daniels said in a statement earlier Sunday that she had requested an “immediate review” of the details surrounding the incident, adding that the department would review available footage from the officer’s body-worn cameras.

In a later statement, Daniels said, “I am committed to transparency and accountability to the community in every situation my officers are involved in.”

Hill admitted that it all happened so quickly that it caught him by surprise.

“I’m just happy that my teammates were there to support me through that situation because I felt alone,” Hill added.

Campbell said he was driving into Hard Rock Stadium when he saw Hill handcuffed and stopped to help. The 17-year NFL veteran also ended up in handcuffs, saying officers told him it was because he disobeyed their direct orders.

“I saw, I felt, that excessive force was being used, so I got out of the car to try to de-escalate the situation,” Campbell said, calling the incident “a little extreme.”

Hill, who led the NFL in receiving yards in 2023, said he spoke with his wife and family after he was stopped and before the game started.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called it a “heartbreaking situation” on ESPN.

“How things escalated to where they were, in handcuffs and being held on the ground by police, is beyond me,” Rosenhaus said. “I’m deeply concerned. Very concerned. We’ll look into it. We’ll look into it. We’ll keep an eye on Tyreek, but I’m not going to press charges at this point. The bottom line is Tyreek is fine physically, mentally he was very shaken up about what happened.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league had been in contact with the Dolphins but declined further comment.

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