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One day after the detainment of Tyreek Hill, the Miami-Dade police union is issuing a statement explaining the reason for its actions. The Miami Dolphins star wide receiver was given two citations for careless driving and a seatbelt violation, per ESPN's Jeff Darlington, hours before Sunday's season opener versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was placed face down in handcuffs.
“First, to be clear, at no time was {Mr. Hill} ever under arrest,” the South Florida Police Benevolent Association said on Monday, via Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640.
“He was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger. Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground.”
An officer that was involved in the detainment has been placed on administrative leave, which in tandem with Hill's own comments about the incident, is causing plenty of public backlash. The union is reserving final judgement until an investigation is completed, but it is clearly supporting Miami-Dade Police Department's initial report.
Dolphins defensive lineman supports Hill
“We would like to stress to the community to use this as an opportunity to remember that it is always best to obey lawful police commands first and complain later,” the union's statement continues. “We have worked hard across all communities to bridge the gap between what people believe law enforcement should and can do, and will continue to do so. In this case, while we will wait for the investigation to run its course, based on what we know, we stand with the actions of our officers but look forward to further open communication moving forward.”
Dolphins defensive end Calais Campbell allegedly witnessed the incident and says he was also placed in handcuffs after trying to allegedly defuse the situation. He feels that “excessive force” was used in the detainment of Tyreek Hill, claiming that his teammate was kicked and had his head pushed by an officer.
The All-Pro receiver did not go into much detail about the events that unfolded but did imply that things could have been worse for a non-celebrity. Hill claims he wants to use this as a learning experience for both himself and the Miami-Dade PD, in an effort to help the community as a whole. The response was far more poignant than the handcuff celebration he partook in after scoring an 80-yard touchdown in the Dolphins' 20-17 comeback victory over the Jaguars.
Because of the 30-year-old's legal history, many will hesitate to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Tyreek Hill's past legal cases
Hill pleaded guilty for 2014 domestic assault charges perpetrated against his then-girlfriend, who was eight weeks pregnant at the time. The same woman accused him of child abuse of their three-year-old son, but he maintained his innocence and did not face any charges. The NFL did discipline Hill, however, due to threatening language he used against the woman in an audio conversation.
Last summer, he was arrested for slapping a marina worker on the back of the head. The two parties reached an undisclosed settlement. Obviously, Hill's detainment is its own matter and will be subjected to an investigation. Body-cam footage should hopefully confirm what exactly happened.
In the meanwhile, The NFL Players Association is following the incident and “has been in contact with Hill and his representatives,” according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques.
