The Dolphins are standing by Tyreek Hill in the aftermath of body cam footage of the wide receiver’s pregame detainment by police.
On Monday, the Miami-Dade police department released over 105 minutes of video from the scene, in which Hill was pulled out of his car by officers, thrown to the ground and handcuffed after a traffic stop outside of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Teammate Calais Campbell attempted to help Hill — approaching the scene with his hands up — and was handcuffed before being allowed to leave. Jonnu Smith also got out of his car when Hill was forced to the ground and was told to back up.
“We are saddened by the overly aggressive and violent conduct directed towards Tyreek Hill, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith by police officers before yesterday’s game,” the team wrote in a statement released on social media. “It is both maddening and heartbreaking to watch the very people we trust to protect our community use such unnecessary force and hostility towards these players, yet it is also a reminder that not every situation like this ends in peace, as we are grateful this one did. ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?’ is a question that will carry with resounding impact.
“We are proud to have a strong and positive relationship with the Miami-Dade Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and recognize that the vast majority of officers do serve the community with the utmost character and desire to protect all citizens. However, as is on full display in the videos released tonight, there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power. While we commend MDPD for taking the right and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.”
The team hopes the incident is an impetus for change.
“We will stand beside Tyreek and our players as they work to use their platform and this situation to make a positive impact in our community,” the Dolphins said. “We have always believed that the game of football holds a unique power to bring people together, and we remain hopeful that through the collective work of the players, organization and our community partners, we can create lasting change.”
Hill was cited for careless driving and a seat belt violation, according to ESPN, before being released at the scene.
He went on to make seven catches for 130 receiving yards and a touchdown in the season-opening 20-17 win over the Jaguars.
He celebrated his score by miming being handcuffed by a teammate in the end zone.
Miami Dade police put the incident under “immediate review.”
Prior to the release of the body cam footage on Monday, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association said in a statement that Hill was “uncooperative” with officers.
“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground,” Steadman Stahl, the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement.
Hill addressed the incident in an interview with NBC on Monday, saying things “just went from 0 to 60.“
“If I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, Lord knows, I probably would have been, like, worst-case scenario, I would have been shot or would have been locked up” and “put behind bars, you know, for a simple speeding ticket,” he said. “And that’s crazy that officers would take it, you know, to that level.”
Dolphins’ players and staff were shaken by the incident.
“For me personally, it’s been hard for me not to get more upset the more I think about it,” head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Monday. “That’s because of my teammates, and trying to put myself in that situation that they described emotionally. … I think the thing that f—- me up honestly to be quite frank is knowing that I don’t know exactly what that feels like.”
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