Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on a street outside the team’s stadium after he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving Sunday morning before the Dolphins’ first game of the season. The incident left the star wide receiver baffled and resulted in a police officer being placed on administrative leave.
The officer, who was not identified, was one of at least three involved in detaining Hill. Some fans saw Hill being handcuffed and captured video on their way to the game, which quickly went viral on social media.
Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie V. Daniels said she had launched an internal affairs investigation. Told after the game that the officer was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Hill remarked, “That should tell you everything you need to know.”
Calais Campbell, the Dolphins’ defensive tackle, who was also briefly handcuffed after coming to his teammate’s aid, commented, “That makes sense based on the situation.”
Hill expressed confusion over the police officers’ actions, claiming he “had no idea” why he was handcuffed. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”
Despite the off-field drama, Hill shined on the field, catching seven passes for 130 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami secure a 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill celebrated the score by mimicking being handcuffed.
Addressing his experience, Hill, who is Black, said he didn’t want to use his celebrity to avoid the situation but wondered how it might have played out if he weren’t an NFL star. “I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done. I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that: ‘Just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen.’”
Daniels stated earlier Sunday that she requested an “immediate review” of the details surrounding the incident and that the department would review available body camera footage. In a subsequent statement, Daniels emphasized her commitment to “transparency and accountability to the community with any situation involving my officers.”
Hill recounted the swift and unexpected nature of the incident. “I’m just glad my teammates were there to support me because I felt alone,” he added.
Campbell revealed that he was driving into Hard Rock Stadium when he saw Hill handcuffed and stopped to assist him. The 17-year NFL veteran also ended up in handcuffs, explaining that officers told him it was because he disobeyed their direct orders. “I’d seen, I feel like excessive force, so I got out of the car to kind of just try to de-escalate the situation,” Campbell said, describing the incident as “a bit extreme.”
Hill, who led the NFL in receiving yards in 2023, said he communicated with his wife and family after he was detained and before the game kicked off.
His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, described the situation on ESPN as “heartbreaking.” “How things escalated into the situation they were in, in handcuffs and being held on the ground with police, is mind-boggling to me,” Rosenhaus said. “I’m deeply concerned by that. Very troubled. We will be looking into it. We will be investigating this. We will look out for Tyreek, but I’m not going to make any allegations at this time. The most important thing is Tyreek is OK physically, mentally he was very distraught about what happened.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated the league has been in contact with the Dolphins but declined to comment further.
