Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill admitted on Wednesday that he could have handled a recent traffic stop better, during which he was handcuffed and forcibly removed from his car by police officers near the team’s stadium.
Hill expressed regret over his actions during the incident, stating that he could have left his car window down when officers instructed him to do so. Instead, he rolled it up, leading to a quick escalation.
“I could have done better,” Hill said. “I should have put the window down right away. But I’m human. I don’t like having all the attention on me, especially with cameras and phones. Still, I have to follow the rules like everyone else.”
However, Hill also criticized the way the situation was handled by the officers. “Does that give them the right to rough me up? No, absolutely not. But I do wish I could go back and make some different choices.”
The Miami-Dade Police Department launched an internal affairs investigation into the incident, and one officer, Danny Torres, was placed on administrative duties. Torres is seeking reinstatement, but Hill firmly stated that he believes the officer should be removed from the force.
“Gone. He’s gotta go,” Hill said, claiming the officer not only mistreated him but also disrespected his teammates. “What did they do to deserve that?”
The traffic stop occurred just hours before the Dolphins’ Week 1 game, when Hill was pulled over near the stadium. He was placed on the ground, handcuffed, and cited for careless driving and not wearing a seatbelt. Teammate Calais Campbell, who stopped to intervene, was also briefly handcuffed.
Looking ahead to the upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills, Hill said he plans to focus on football as a way to escape the stress of the situation. He emphasized that he respects police officers and has no intention of kneeling in protest or calling for police defunding. In fact, Hill has expressed interest in a career in law enforcement after his football career ends.
Body camera footage of the incident, released by the Miami-Dade Police Department, shows the confrontation escalating after Hill rolled up his window. He handed his license to an officer but repeatedly asked the officer to stop knocking on the window before rolling it back up. The video then shows officers forcibly removing Hill from the car and pinning him to the ground.
Hill, who had knee surgery earlier this offseason, can be heard in the video pleading with officers, explaining that he had just undergone a stem cell procedure. Despite this, officers continued to restrain him.
Hill reflected on the bodycam footage, calling it “shell-shocking.” He expressed dismay that officers acted this way, even with body cameras on. “It’s sad,” he said. “And it makes you wonder what they’d do if there weren’t any cameras.”
The NFL Players Association has reached out to Hill and Campbell to offer support. NBA player Bam Adebayo also weighed in on the incident, agreeing that Hill should have followed the officers’ instructions but condemned the force used during the arrest.
The incident has reignited conversations about the treatment of Black individuals by law enforcement, a topic that has been at the forefront of national dialogue for years. While Hill has faced off-field controversies in the past, his teammates have come to his defense, condemning any use of his past to justify the officers’ actions.
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Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged that Hill could have handled things differently, but stressed that the force used by officers was excessive.
“Focusing on what provoked the situation misses the point,” McDaniel said. “The actions taken were unnecessary.”
