Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is led to the sidewalk after being handcuffed by Miami-Dade Police Department officers in Miami, Fla., on Sept. 8, 2024.Miami-Dade Police Department/Reuters
New video surfaced on Monday showing police officers forcefully removing Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill from his car and throwing him to the ground during a heated traffic stop ahead of his team’s home opener on Sunday.
Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the footage, which was posted to attorney Ben Crump’s X page and labelled as police body-cam video.
The footage begins with a police officer asking Hill through his open car window why he did not have his seat belt on. After a brief exchange Hill rolls up his window up and the officer knocks on it, ordering him to roll it down.
Hill partly rolls the window down and the officer tells him to get out of the car. Another officer quickly comes over, opens the car door and grabs Hill by the back of the head, forcing him face down on the pavement as he puts him in handcuffs with a knee pressed against his back.
Officers then pick the still-handcuffed Hill back up and lead him to the sidewalk, where they ask him to sit.
Hill asks them to hold on because he “just had surgery on my knee” as another officer grabs him from behind from around the neck and forces him into a seated position on the curb.
The Miami-Dade Police Department on Sunday opened an Internal Affairs investigation into the matter and one of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the review is conducted.
The Dolphins and the NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Hill, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver, still managed to play in the game, scoring an 80-yard touchdown en route to the team’s 20-17 victory. After the game he said he had obeyed the officers’ orders.
Earlier on Monday, a union representing the Miami-Dade officers said that Hill did not co-operate when he was stopped near the Dolphins’ stadium for driving in a manner that was “putting himself and others in great risk of danger.”
Hill was placed in handcuffs for the officers’ safety, Steadman Stahl, the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement.
“Mr. Hill, still unco-operative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground.
“Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes, Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave.”
Stahl said the union would wait for the investigation to run its course but, based on the information available, said it was standing by the actions of its officers.
Hill, who finished Sunday’s opener with a team-high seven catches for 130 yards, celebrated his touchdown by putting his hands behind his back to simulate being handcuffed.