Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on a street outside the team’s stadium after he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving Sunday morning before the Dolphins' first game of the season, an incident that left the star wide receiver baffled and resulted in a police officer being placed on administrative leave, the Associated Press reports. The officer was one of at least three involved in detaining Hill. Some fans saw Hill being handcuffed and captured video on their way to the game, and it quickly went viral on social media. Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie Daniels launched an internal affairs investigation. Told that the officer was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Hill said: “That should tell you everything you need to know.” Added defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also briefly handcuffed after coming to his teammate’s aid: “That makes sense based on the situation.”
Hill, who said he respects police officers and wants to be one when he retires from football, said he “had no idea” why police placed him in handcuffs. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.” Hill starred on the field for the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 130 yards — including an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami rally for a 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill celebrated by mimicking being handcuffed. Hill, who is Black, said he didn’t want to use his celebrity to get out of the situation but wondered what would’ve happened if he weren’t an NFL star. “I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done. I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that: ‘Just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen.’” Daniels requested an “immediate review” of the details surrounding the incident, adding that the department would review available body camera footage.