By Emily McLaughlin
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained on Sunday, Sept. 8, for careless driving and driving without a seat belt. Hill was detained a block away from his team’s stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, hours before the Dolphins kicked off their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hill was detained for about 15 minutes after the Miami-Dade Police Department pulled him over. The body camera footage was uploaded Monday, Sept. 9, showing a sequence of events involving Hill getting pulled over, Hill not putting his window down fully when officers instructed him to, and Hill being forcefully taken to the ground out of his McLaren 720S coupe by the primary responding officer and put into handcuffs. The clip also shows Hill complaining about knee pain, and his teammates — defensive tackle Calais Campbell and tight end Jonnu Smith — saw Hill being detained and decided to stop to help.
Hill said on NBC News that Campbell was handcuffed even though he was standing off to the side.
Hill was charged with penalties of $179 for careless driving with a “visual estimation of 60 mph” and $129 for failing to wear a seat belt. Campbell was later released with Hill and was allowed to play against the Jaguars at 1 p.m.
Hill told USA Today in the aftermath, “I could’ve been better. I could’ve let down my window in that instance.”
Hill’s coaches and teammates used the words “triggering” and a “shame” to describe the body camera footage. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said a few words regarding Hill’s detainment.
Tagovailoa said on Tuesday, Sept. 10, with AP News, “It was a little emotional for me, hearing Tyreek’s voice in the footage.”
Safety Jevon Holland and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver shared their understanding of being a part of the Black community and facing issues due to their race. Offensive coordinator Frank Smith wished he were there to help and is proud of the positive attitude the team is taking with this issue.
Mike McDaniel, coach for the Dolphins, said on Monday before the footage was released with AP News, “It’s been hard for me not to find myself more upset the more I think about it, I think the thing that (messes) me up, honestly, to be quite frank, is knowing that I don’t know exactly … know what that feels like.”
Drew Rosenhaus, Hill’s agent, was on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Tuesday morning. Rosenhaus called for at least one of the officers involved in the detainment to be fired.
Rosenhaus said on the show as he watched the clip of the detainment, “For me personally, I think the police officers that did that to Tyreek shouldn’t be in that position. They should be let go.”
Hill’s attorney, Julius Collins, accuses Miami-Dade police officer Danny Torres of putting his hands at least twice “on or around” Hill’s neck and forcefully placing Hill face down on the pavement. Torres, a 27-year-old veteran, was placed on administrative duties announced on Tuesday. This also led to Collins’ broader concerns with how police interact with Black people.
Ignacio Alvarez and Israel Reyes, Torres’ attorneys, issued a statement calling for their client’s immediate reinstatement. The president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, Steadman Stahl, released a statement on Monday saying how Hill was not “immediately cooperative” with the officers, which led the officers to follow police protocol in handcuffing Hill.
Torres will not comment until after the investigation. The local police union has defended Torres and the other officers during the incident and has accused Hill of being “uncooperative.”
Near the end of the game against the Jaguars on Sunday, Hill scored an 80-yard touchdown. He celebrated by putting his hands behind his back and with his wrists together to reference the incident.