Tyreek Hill insists he has ‘no idea’ why he was pinned to the crowd and handcuffed by police as he made his way to the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The wide receiver scored an 80-yard touchdown just hours after being detained by police in dramatic scenes. According to reports, he was ordered to pull over after being cited for ‘reckless driving’.
He then appeared to be struck by an officer in a shocking video. After the game, Hill opened up on the ordeal and vowed to ‘learn’ from it.
‘I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,’ Hill said, per the Post. ‘I didn’t cuss. I did none of that. I’m still trying to figure it out.’
The 30-year-old also confirmed that an officer had put his hands on him while he was handcuffed.
Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and detained by police on Sunday
After the game, the Miami Dolphins star opened up on the ordeal and vowed to ‘learn’ from it
‘So when I left home, I told my wife: “Babe, I’m going to go to work and get prepared for my day”,’ he told CBS.
‘Little did I know, that was quite a surprise on the way, man. But do you know what? At the end of the day, I have a job to do and my job is to come inside this stadium and be great.’
When pressed on exactly what happened, Hill said: ‘I’m not going to comment on any of that. We’re just going to let bygones be bygones, move on and learn from it.’
Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead then gatecrashed the on-field interview, shouting, ‘Free my dawg!’ to which Hill responded: ‘Free Cheetah, baby!’
Hill gave another interview when he told reporters that he has ‘no idea’ why he was cuffed by cops.
One of the officers involved in the dramatic detainment has been placed on administrative duties amid an internal investigation into the incident.
When informed that one of the officers involved has been put on administrative duties pending an investigation, the receiver added: ‘That should tell you everything you need to know.’
Hill was seen being led away in cuffs following an alleged altercation with an officer, before cops released him shortly after.
After being released, Hill was able to head to the stadium and join up with his teammates. Despite his ordeal, he still started for Miami against Jacksonville.
The 30-year-old was seen being pinned to the ground in one video of the incident
News of Hill’s detainment has sparked outrage online, with ESPN host Stephen A. Smith hitting out at the ‘unnecessary’ incident on Sunday morning and drawing comparisons with golf star Scottie Scheffler’s infamous arrest in Kentucky earlier this year.
Smith wrote on X alongside a video of Hill being placed in cuffs on the ground: ‘Look for yourself. This is b.s. Totally unnecessary.
‘And btw…., I know the Scottie Scheffler incident was in Georgia — not Florida — and he was arrested, detained, booked. I also know we don’t know all the details, blah….blah…..blah! But he wasn’t faced down on the ground in cuffs? Then forcibly sat down again by officers a second time. Nah! This story isn’t going away — and it doesn’t need to.’
The star receiver was not the only Dolphins player placed in handcuffs on Sunday morning. Several of his teammates stopped to ‘offer (their) support’ and defensive lineman Calais Campbell revealed that he had a run in with the officers, too.
Hill celebrated his 80-yard touchdown on Sunday by reenacting being put in handcuffs
‘They put handcuffs on me too and I was like: “What is going on?” I didn’t understand what the issue was,’ Campbell said.
‘For him to put handcuffs on me. I felt some kind of way. That just goes to show you our resilience. We’re not going to let that stop us.’
‘That was a first, 17 years in this game. I saw Tyreek getting apprehended. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok, try to deescalate the situation. Officer felt a certain kind of way and put handcuffs on me.’
Hill paid tribute to the other players who ‘risked their lives’ to support him during the incident, telling CBS: ‘I loved that. I was f****** fired up.’
He added: ‘(They were) right there in the heat of the battle with me. That goes to show that it’s more than about football.
The Dolphins receiver pictured with wife Keeta, whom he married in November of last year
‘The brotherhood we have outside of just football is amazing. Because those dudes were really risking their lives for me.’
That also showed when Hill mimicked the police incident after the score by holding his hands behind his back as if he was arrested.
Fellow Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle comes behind Hill and grabs his wrists, imitating the police officers who pinned him to the ground.
Some of Miami’s fans have also called Hill’s detainment racist.
‘Why they do him like that ??? that my question cause he black,’ one user wrote.
‘Racist cops tried to arrest Tyreek Hill,’ another added. ‘That’s some bulls***.
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