On Sunday, Sept. 8, just hours after being aggressively detained by Miami-Dade police, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill made his first score of the 2024 NFL season with an 80-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After running in 54 yards after the catch, which ESPN reports as the longest scoring catch of his NFL career, Hill’s touchdown pose caused just as much uproar as his career-making score. After the play, Hill, with the help of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, stood in the end zone with his hands behind his back, allowing Waddle to restrain them as if Hill was “under arrest.”
@BestCelly account crowned the moment as “probably the best celebration I’ve seen,” One user said, “He def getting fined for that.”
One X user was on board with Hill’s big “F U” to the police department.
Hill’s eventful day began earlier that morning when he was detained by Miami-Dade police while heading to the Hard Rock Stadium hours before the game.
Videos circulated around social media showing the NFL star being forcibly put face down on the pavement and aggressively handcuffed by members of the Miami-Dade Police Department not far from the stadium. One officer is seen with a knee in Hill’s back, which angered many fans who saw the disturbing clip.
Another view of the incident appears to show officers seemingly striking Hill before he collapses on the curb.
“This officer seems to have struck a handcuffed (and compliant) Tyreek Hill multiple times. On a busy street in Miami in the middle of the day. Unacceptable. Fire this idiot,” an X user wrote while sharing the video clip.
“This is absolutely DISGUSTING behavior from the @MiamiPD,” said another fan. “This cop decides to KICK and INJURE #Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill while he was cooperating and just sitting on the ground.”
USA Today shared that the father of 10 was initially stopped for a “traffic incident.” Later, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington posted on X, stating his sources cited reckless driving as the reason the police stopped Hill. Hill then got into a verbal altercation with the cops and was handcuffed and roughed up before eventually being released with a citation.
Several other athletes and celebrities also voiced their support on social media.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III shared his thoughts on the situation. “Tyreek Hill should not have been forcibly driven to the ground, handcuffed, and handled so aggressively for a minor traffic violation heading into the stadium before the game. Period.”
Sports analyst and host Stephen A. Smith called out the aggressive force on Hill compared to what happened to pro golfer Scottie Scheffler during his May arrest. “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.”
During the postgame press conference, Hill shared his recollection of events. When asked what led to the incident, Hill told the press, “I really don’t know. Right now I’m still trying to put it all together.”
He added, “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way, didn’t cuss, didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out,”
According to Hill, it was important for him to use his platform to shed light on the frightening incident, as everyone might not be so lucky. “I want to use my platform to say, what if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Worst case scenario,” he said before referring to the cops who roughed him up as “bad apples.”
Miami defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also on the scene, revealed that he was detained as he tried to de-escalate the situation between cops and Hill.
“I saw Tyreek in handcuffs. Excessive force. The officer felt the need to put me in handcuffs. They said I disobeyed a direct order,” Campbell told Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad.
Campbell told NFL Network he was just as confused as Hill when the incident took place. “They put handcuffs on me too, and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I didn’t understand what the issue was,” he said. “For him to put handcuffs on me, I felt some type of way.”
CNN reports that the Miami-Dade PD officer that detained Hill has since been put on administrative leave pending further investigation into the matter. Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie V. Daniels shared that an investigation into the matter
“Following the incident involving Tyreek Hill, I have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation to ensure a thorough review of the matter. One of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is conducted,” Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie V. Daniels said in a statement Sunday. “I’m committed to transparency and accountability to the community with any situation involving my officers.”
