The biggest talking point in the opening round of the American football NFL league was an episode that was by no means seen in the stadium. The aftermath of Sunday’s incident is making heavy rounds in the North American media.
Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was on his way to a match played at Miami Gardens, Hard Rock Stadium.
Bodycam video released by the Miami-Dade Police Department shows a motorcycle cop stopping Hill a few hours before the match. Of course, the most important thing is what happens after the stop.
– Don’t knock on my window like that, Hill opens the conversation.
– Why aren’t you wearing a seat belt? the police ask.
– Give me my ticket (ticket), bro, so I can go, I’m late. Do what you gotta do, Hill stammers.
Hill closes his car window. The policeman shouts that the window must be kept down. When Hill doesn’t immediately respond, the officers open the door and pull Hill out of the car. They push him on his stomach on the road and handcuff him.
– When we tell you to do something, you do it. Do you understand? one of the cops shouts.
– You hit my window like a madman, Hill criticized.
– All right, bro, take me to jail, do what you gotta do, Hill roars.
– We will do that, the police answer.
– Hi Drew. Hey Drew, I’m under arrest, Drew, I’m under arrest. I’m being arrested. Deuce! Hill yells.
Hill was on the phone with his agent by Drew Rosenhaus with.
– Don’t worry about it. I hung up the phone. Stop crying, says the police.
Hill also says he just had knee surgery.
– Really? What a coincidence. Have you had your ear cut? We told you to open your window, the police scolds.
Two of Hill’s teammates, Calais Campbell and John Smithstopped to marvel at the event. The police officers tell them to continue their journey and stay further away. Campbell was eventually handcuffed.
Hill shouts to Jonnu Smith that “Jonnu! Jonny! Call Drew!”.
– Hey, they got Tyreek, the cops are beating him up here! Smith is on the phone.
The cops repeat to Hill that he was driving recklessly and Hill in turn repeats the question of why he had to be pulled from his car.
– Don’t tell me to calm down! You’ve got a grip on my neck and you won’t tell me to relax!
In the end, the police say that “he admitted everything” and state that the matter is fine. Hill looks at the document he received and realizes that “I didn’t wear my seat belt”.
“Crazy”
Finally, Tyreek Hill got to play and played a big role in the match. He scored an 80-yard touchdown to lead the Dolphins to a 20–17 victory.
After his touchdown, Hill celebrated by having his teammates pretend to handcuff Hill.
– I’m still shocked by it. I’m ashamed, among other things, Hill commented after the match.
However, according to Hill, he followed the rules. He said he opened his window, gave his ID and closed his window.
– I wasn’t disrespectful because my mother didn’t raise me that way. I didn’t curse, I didn’t do anything like that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure this out.
– I didn’t try to cause a scene because… If I roll down my window, people passing by notice that it’s me and start taking pictures. I didn’t want to cause a scene, I just wanted to get my ticket and then move on.
However, Hill strongly criticized the actions of the police and expressed his concern about what would have happened if it had been an ordinary street person.
– The reality is, if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, worst case scenario, we would have had a different article. “Shooted in front of Hard Rock Stadium”.
– And it was crazy that the police took it to this level.
The fury of the club management and an internal investigation by the police
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was very emotional when talking about the case to the media.
– It’s been harder for me not to get angry the more I think about it. It’s because I’ve tried to put myself in the shoes of my team members, which they so passionately described. But what hates me is that I honestly don’t know what it feels like.
McDaniel’s mother is white and his father is black. McDaniel explained that, on the one hand, he knows what it’s about, but on the other hand, he has no background to “feel like he’s being profiled.” Therefore, it is not about the feelings he feels, but about the people who live with said problems.
The situation was therefore connected to the heated debate regarding police violence and the treatment of the black population.
In addition, there is a wider discussion about how the authorities act in stop situations.
The Dolphins issued a press release strongly criticizing the actions of the police.
– It is both infuriating and heartbreaking to watch people we trust to protect our community use unnecessary force and hostility. It’s also a reminder that not every situation like this ends peacefully, so we’re thankful this one ended.
Hill’s agent Rosenhaus described the incident as “heartbreaking, shocking and unnecessary”. He said he was “in disbelief” at what he saw.
The local police union issued a statement defending the police’s actions. Hilli was described as “uncooperative”.
However, the Miami-Dade Police Department has launched an internal investigation, and one of the officers has been placed on “administrative duty” in the meantime.
The police department said that bodycam footage is usually released when the internal investigation is over. Now, however, it was done “to strengthen the police’s commitment to informing the public”.
Hill’s lawyer Julius Collins commented that the video contradicts the police union’s statement.
Mayor of Miami-Dade Daniella Levine Cava in turn praised the “immediate actions” of the police in solving the case.
– In recent years, our nation has faced important conversations about the use of force, and the internal review process answers questions about why the police took the disturbing actions shown in the video footage, Levine Cava wrote on Instagram.
Sources: Reuters, BBC, CNN, NFL website, NBC News