Miami, FL — Tyreek Hill’s pregame arrest on Sunday, mere hours before the Miami Dolphins’ season opener, has caused a significant stir. Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, described the incident as “heartbreaking, upsetting, and uncalled for” in an interview with CNN on Monday.
Incident Details
During a traffic incident near Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Hill was handcuffed and detained by police, with multiple videos circulating on social media showing him on the ground surrounded by four officers. Rosenhaus, speaking to CNN’s Sara Sidner, expressed his shock over the event. “Tyreek was just trying to get to work, to play a game, to do his job,” Rosenhaus said. “For police officers to detain him, to put him on the ground, to put their knee on him, and to hit him—it’s devastating.”
The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) later confirmed that Hill was “briefly detained” after the traffic incident and released shortly thereafter. MDPD Director Stephanie V. Daniels announced that an investigation has been launched, and one of the officers involved has been placed on administrative duties. Another Dolphins player, Calais Campbell, was also handcuffed when he approached officers to discuss the situation.
Hill’s Performance and Reaction
Despite the pregame turmoil, Hill made a significant impact during the Dolphins’ 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill scored an 80-yard touchdown and celebrated by putting his wrists together behind his back, a gesture seemingly alluding to his earlier detainment. Rosenhaus suggested that the celebration was Hill’s way of coping with the incident. “It’s humiliating to be seen in handcuffs, on the ground with police kneeling on you, pushing you, treating you like a criminal,” Rosenhaus said. “I absolutely believe that celebration was Tyreek’s way of dealing with something that was deeply upsetting.”
Hill, during the postgame press conference, expressed his ongoing confusion about the encounter with police. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. I didn’t curse, didn’t do any of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to understand what happened,” Hill stated.
Moving Forward
Rosenhaus assured CNN that there would be “ramifications” following the incident. “If Tyreek wasn’t a world-class athlete in peak condition, who knows what could have happened,” he said. “He was sore, hurting, physically and mentally shaken. We’re seeking answers, and we will pursue this matter to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Dolphins will now prepare to face their divisional rivals, the Buffalo Bills, at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday.
Police Union Pushes Back
On Monday, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association defended the actions of the officers involved, highlighting that Hill was never placed under arrest.
“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,” Steadman Stahl, the organization’s president, said in a statement to CNN.
