The 2024 NFL season is under way and the usual deluge of headlines have flowed, but one in particular has caused a stir for something that didn’t take place on the gridiron.
Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and placed face-down on the street outside Hard Rock Stadiumin Florida after he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving on Sunday morning (Monday NZT) ahead of his team’s season-opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Teammate Calais Campbell was also briefly handcuffed at the scene after refusing to leave when asked by police. Hill received citations for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt, but was not arrested.
Not about to let the incident affect his play, Hill caught six passes for 130 yards and scored a touchdown, after which he recreated the pre-game scene by putting his hands behind his back and having a teammate mimic applying handcuffs.
The Dolphins said in a statement they have a strong relationship with the police department but were “saddened” by the incident.
“As is on full display in the videos released tonight, there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power,” the team said. “While we commend MDPD for taking the right and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behaviour.”
Hill said he wants to turn the incident around and look for a positive.
“I’m a good ole country boy from South Georgia, man,” Hill said. “I’m not a big believer in dividing people.”
It is not the first time Hill has made headlines for an off-field incident. He was accused of assaulting his girlfriend while in college and was eventually kicked off the Oklahoma State football team, later pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation.
In 2019, Kansas City prosecutors declined to charge the NFL star after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancée and their 3-year-old child.
