Miami (AFP) – Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill said Sunday he wants to turn his “crazy” arrest by police into a positive after being handcuffed by traffic cops en route to his team’s opening game of the NFL season. Miami-Dade police confirmed Sunday that one of the officers involved in detaining the 30-year-old wide receiver has been placed on administrative leave as an internal affairs investigation got under way.
The development came after Hill was ordered out of his McLaren sports car near the Hard Rock Stadium before the Dolphins’ clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars for allegedly speeding. Video footage of the traffic stop showed an apparently calm Hill being restrained face down on the ground before being handcuffed by police. Another clip appeared to show an officer manhandling Hill while handcuffed. Hill was subsequently released and took his place in the Dolphins team, scoring a spectacular touchdown in a 20-17 victory.
Afterwards, the receiver told reporters that he was baffled why police had slapped handcuffs on him for a traffic violation. “I have no idea man, for real,” Hill said. “Crazy. I wasn’t disrespectful because my mum didn’t raise me that way. I didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. I’m still trying to figure it out. I was just doing what my uncle always told me to do if I was in a situation like that — just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel. Gotta be careful man.”
When informed that one of the officers involved in the stop had been placed on leave, he replied: “That should tell you everything you need to know.” Hill said he had struggled to comprehend what was happening as the confrontation with police escalated, adding that he had not sought to use his celebrity to extricate himself from the situation.
“I was like ‘Is this happening?'” he said. “It happened so fast it caught me off guard. I was like ‘Man, they’re really doing this.’ They said I was speeding. Reckless driver or whatever. I wasn’t raised to name drop or anything like that. So you say I did something, then write me a ticket. Because I’m a normal person too.”
Hill, who is African-American, admitted it was hard not to wonder if Sunday’s flashpoint might have unfolded differently if he was not one of the most prominent stars in the NFL, hinting that race might have been a factor in the incident. “It’s all across the world man, you see it. I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it’s kind of iffy,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or those guys would have did.”
Hill, however, said he hopes to work with Miami law enforcement to turn the incident into a positive moment. “Everybody has bad apples in every situation,” Hill said. “I want to be able to use this platform to figure out a way to flip this, make it a positive on both ends, on my end, and then also Miami Dade. So that way we can team together and do something positive for the community, because that’s what it’s all about, right? Like, you guys are here to protect us as individuals. I have a platform and I want to be able to team up with you guys.”
Hill, meanwhile, shrugged off the incident on the field, using his trademark blistering pace to score an 80-yard touchdown. The receiver celebrated by pretending to be handcuffed by teammate Jaylen Waddle. Hill said his teammate had told him before the game: “Reek, you get in that end zone today, just show your tail and I’ll do the rest. It was a planned celebration.”
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