Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill was pulled over Sunday in a traffic incident and briefly detained by police while on his way to the stadium for the team’s season opener, the team announced on social media.
Hill was about one block from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., when police pulled the wide receiver over and detained him, the Dolphins said in a statement Sunday morning. He was released a short time later, though no details surrounding the detainment were immediately released by authorities.
Hill was seen on video posted on social media lying face down on the ground as officers placed his hands behind his back and put handcuffs on him.
“Several teammates saw the incident and stopped to offer support. Tyreek and all other players involved have safely arrived to the stadium and will be available for today’s game,” the Dolphins wrote on the social platform X.
Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie V. Daniels announced later Sunday she initiated an investigation into the incident, and one of the officers involved was placed on administrative duty in the meantime.
“I’m committed to transparency and accountability to my community with any situation involving my officers,” Daniels wrote in a statement.
The Dolphins ultimately defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 20 to 17 on Sunday. At one point after he helped score a touchdown during the game, Hill put his arms behind his back with his wrists together to celebrate, in a possible reference to being placed in handcuffs earlier in the day.
A reporter, during a press conference following the game, asked Hill about the officer placed on administrative duty, and Hill said he was not yet aware of that.
“That should tell you everything you need to know, you feel me?” he said. “I’m just glad that my teammates were there to like, support me in that situation, because I felt alone, you know, and when they showed up, it made me realize that we got a f—ing good team this year.”
While not immediately clear why Hill was pulled over, he told reporters that officers claimed he was “speeding, recklessly driving.”
When reached for comment, the Miami-Dade Police Department said it cannot comment on the details of the incident as it is an open investigation.
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN it was a “heartbreaking situation” and “completely unnecessary.”
“Obviously I love Tyreek. I hated to see him in the situation he was in with the police,” Rosenhaus said, per The Associated Press. “Apparently he got a ticket for a moving violation entering the stadium.”
