Tyreek Hill says he wants action taken against the Miami-Dade police officer who detained him after a traffic stop on Sunday, Sept. 8.
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver, 30, spoke out again on Wednesday, Sept. 11, ahead of his team’s game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, and shared that he believes the officer should be fired.
“Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. He’s gotta go, man,” Hill said of the officer at a team-sanctioned news conference, per ABC Newsand NBC News. “In that instant right there, not only did he treat me bad, but he also treated my teammates with disrespect. He had some crazy words towards them and they didn’t even do nothing. Like, what did they do to you?”
Hill was seen on police body cam footagereleased by the Miami-Dade Police Department repeatedly telling an officer during a traffic stop about a block from Hard Rock Stadium to not “knock” on his window before rolling it back up against the officer’s orders. The officer could be seen warning Hill to keep the “window down” or else he would “get” him “out of the car.”
Police body camera video shows an officer dragging Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill out of his car.
Miami-Dade Police Department
The officer eventually directed the NFL player to “get out of the car,” and after Hill opened his car door, the officer could be seen forcefully pulling him out of the driver’s seat as two more officers helped bring Hill to the ground.
Some of Hill’s teammates who had driven by on their way to the stadium, including Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell, had stopped and tried to mediate the situation. However, Campbell was eventually handcuffed by police as well.
Stephanie Daniels, the police department’s director, said in a statement on statement on X (formerly Twitter) that they released the body cam footage earlier than their normal protocols dictate “in our commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust.”
The Miami-Dade Police Department also said in a post on X that it has since launched an “internal affairs investigation” and one of the officers “involved in the incident” was “placed on administrative duties” as the investigation was being conducted.
Hill went on to admit on Wednesday that he also “could have been better” in handling the situation. He said per ABC News and NBC News, “I could have let down my window in that instant. But the thing about me is, I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras-out, phones-on-you in that moment.”
“But at the end of the day, I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I’ve got to do what everyone else would do,” he continued. “Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
Tyreek Hill holds his hands behind his back as if he is handcuffed as Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle unlocks them after Hill scores against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 08, 2024.
Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP
The NFL player said he plans to go down on one knee during the Dolphins and Bills game — an action that some players have takenp in recent years to protest police brutality — and noted that he planned to use the game as therapy, per ABC News.
The Miami Dolphins condemned “the overly aggressive and violent conduct directed” toward Hill, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith “by police officers” in a statement and said that the team would “stand by” Hill and their players.
The NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr., also told ABC News that they have reached out to Hill and Campbell to provide them with “necessary support.” He added, “No matter what your circumstances are, is take care of yourself, your family and hopefully that’ll translate to the field. That’s where things are now.”
