Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill told reporters on Sunday that he has “no idea” why he was detained and handcuffed by police on his way to Hard Rock Stadium for his team’s regular-season opener.
Hill addressed reporters following his team’s 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars — a win in which he played a central role, catching seven passes for 130 yards including an 80-yard TD in the second half. The focus of the media session, however, began with questions surrounding the morning incident in which Hill was detained and placed in handcuffs for what the Dolphins described as a minor traffic violation.
“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Hill said.
Miami-Dade (Florida) Police director Stephanie V. Daniels said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that she has initiated an internal affairs review of the incident and that one of the officers involved has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is conducted.
“That should tell you everything you need to know,” Hill told reporters when informed that an officer was placed on leave.
Hill also said that he hopes to be able to use his platform in order to make sure there is a positive outcome from this incident for himself and the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Hill was not the only Dolphins player involved in Sunday morning’s incident, as teammate Calais Campbell told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe after the game that he also was placed in handcuffs after he stopped on his way to the stadium to try to “deescalate the situation.”
“That was a first,” Campbell told Wolfe. “Being 17 years in this game, I don’t really see a lot of firsts. But I saw Tyreek getting apprehended, I just wanted to make sure everything was OK, try to deescalate the situation. Officer felt a certain type of way, put handcuffs on me, and then I just told myself, ‘Don’t let this get you down. Just focus, stay locked in, just do what you know you prepared to do so you can go ahead and win a ballgame.'”
Hill told reporters after the game that it meant a lot to see his teammates have his back.
“I’m just glad that my teammates were there to support me in that situation because I felt alone,” Hill said. “When they showed up, it made me realize that we have a f—— good team this year.”
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday that the league has been in contact with the Dolphins regarding Hill and Campbell being placed in handcuffs and has no further comment at this time.
