Dolphins' Tyreek Hill detained by police hours before season opener
Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police before Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars just outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Hill was seen laying face down on the street as he was placed in handcuffs as fans driving on the same street recorded video, which quickly went viral before the game.
"This morning, WR Tyreek Hill was pulled over for a traffic incident about one block from the stadium and briefly detained by police. He has since been released. Several teammates saw the incident and stopped to offer support," the Dolphins said in a statement.
"Tyreek and all other players involved have safely arrived to the stadium and will be available for today’s game."
Hill scored his first touchdown of the season late in the third quarter on an 80-yard catch-and-run from Tua Tagovailoa. Hill caught the pass near midfield and sped past two Jaguars and down the sideline to the end zone, where he celebrated by throwing the ball into the end zone and then putting his hands behind his back.
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Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said the player was "distraught" by the incident.
"It's a heartbreaking situation," Rosenhaus said on air to ESPN's Jeff Darlington. "Obviously, I love Tyreek, I hated to see him in the situation he was in with the police. He is gonna play today. Number one, he's OK. Number two, he's gonna play. Number three, apparently he got a ticket for a moving violation entering the stadium. How things escalated into the situation that they were in in handcuffs and being held on the ground with police is mind-boggling to me. I'm deeply concerned by that, very troubled. We will be looking into it, we will be investigating this, we will look out for Tyreek. But I'm not gonna make any allegations at this time. The most important thing is that Tyreek is OK – physically. Mentally, he was very distraught about what happened.
"This is crazy, I've never seen anything like this."
ESPN reports Hill got into a "verbal altercation" with an officer and was cited for reckless driving.
Miami-Dade Police Department director Stephanie V. Daniels released a statement on social media regarding Hill’s detainment just after 1 p.m. Sunday:
“We are aware of the recent detainment of Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill by Miami-Dade Police Department officers. I have requested an immediate review of all details surrounding the incident, and we are also reviewing available body camera footage. We will provide updates as further information becomes available."
Hill – a Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020 – led the NFL with 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Dolphins last season.
Hill enters his third season with Miami after agreeing to a contract extension last month, worth $90 million for the next three seasons with $65 million in guaranteed money. Hill originally signed a four-year, $120 million deal with $72.2 million guaranteed with the Dolphins in 2022 after he was traded by the Chiefs.