Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was briefly arrested Sunday in a traffic incident just hours before his NFL season debut, the franchise confirmed.
Hill was later released and was at Dolphins Stadium for the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Miami team issued a brief statement regarding the incident. “Tyreek Hill was briefly stopped by police for a traffic violation about a block from the stadium this morning. He was later released. Many teammates witnessed the event and stopped to offer support. Tyreek and the other players involved arrived safely at the stadium and will be available for today’s game against the Jaguars,” the team said.
According to ESPN, the player was stopped for speeding and then had a verbal altercation with the police during which he was handcuffed.
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A video of the incident showed Hill, one of the NFL’s top players at his position, lying face down on the asphalt next to his car as he was handcuffed by several officers outside the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
“The most important thing is that Tyreek is fine, physically and mentally,” Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said.
“I was very distraught by what happened. Tyreek has told me over and over again that he has a lot of respect for police work. This is crazy, I have never seen anything like this.”
“He told me that he was driving to the stadium. The police stopped him, pulled him out of the car, and basically at that point he was treated roughly by the police. In my view, that was completely needless.”
Hill is one of the Dolphins’ biggest stars and weeks ago received an increase in the guaranteed money he agreed to on March 23, 2022 for four years and $120 million, of which $72.2 million was guaranteed.
The 30-year-old caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and a league-high 13 touchdowns last season. He reached 1,700 receiving yards in his first two seasons since Miami acquired him from the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was recently selected as the league’s Best Player in a vote of nearly 1,700 NFL athletes. It was the first time that a wide receiver won the award in the 14 years of this call.
Tyreek Hill’s Unusual Celebration
Tyreek Hill had a controversial celebration after scoring an impressive 80-yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The celebration came hours after Hill was pulled over by Miami police for a traffic violation.
Before the game, Hill was arrested and handcuffed after being stopped for reckless driving. Despite being released in time to participate in the game, Hill didn’t miss the opportunity to reference his arrest in his celebration.
Upon scoring the touchdown, the receiver mimicked being handcuffed, placing his hands behind his back, just before the CBS broadcast cut to the scene.
Miami-Dade police on administrative leave after arrest of Tyreek Hill
A Miami-Dade County police officer is on administrative leave pending an investigation into the arrest of Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill outside Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Miami-Dade Police Department Chief Stephanie V. Daniels announced the move in a statement, saying she had launched an internal investigation into the officers’ procedures during the arrest of Hill and the handcuffing of the player.
Photos and video posted on social media revealed a Miami-Dade police officer with a knee on Hill’s back as he was blocked next to his luxury sports car, then sat on the ground with his hands cuffed.
The Miami Dolphins issued a statement saying police had stopped Hill for a traffic incident a block from the stadium.
“Several teammates saw the incident and stopped to offer support,” the team spokesman wrote in the statement.
Hill was with his agent Drew Rosenhaus near several police officers on the sidewalk just outside the stadium hours before the afternoon game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Later inside the stadium, Rosenhaus said Hill was issued a traffic ticket for reckless driving.
