Officers investigated after Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill detained before season opener

Hours after Miami Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill was handcuffed Sunday morning on his way to the team’s season-opening game against Jacksonville, the Miami-Dade Police Department announced the agency is investigating at least four officers involved in the stop — during which Hill was pinned to the ground.

Video and photos posted to social media revealed a Miami-Dade officer with a knee on Hill’s back as he was detained adjacent to his luxury sports car, then sitting on the ground in handcuffs. The incident occurred just outside Hard Rock Stadium, though the precise distance is unclear.

After the game, Hill told reporters he had “no idea” why he was placed in handcuffs and said he “wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way.”

READ MORE: Dolphins’ Hill, Campbell react to being handcuffed: ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?’

“...I don’t want to bring race into it. But sometimes it’s kind of iffy when you do,” Hill said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what those guys would have did....”

One officer reassigned. More coming?

As of Sunday evening, police have yet to release body camera footage, the names of the officers involved or any additional details about what occurred leading up Hill being detained.

MDPD Director Stephanie Daniels — citing her commitment to transparency and accountability — said the department is examining how the stop escalated between officers and the NFL’s leading wideout. Daniels also said one of the four officers involved was placed on administrative duty.

“I have requested an immediate review of all details surrounding the incident,” Daniels, who didn’t elaborate on the status of the other three officers, said in a statement. “We are also reviewing available body camera footage. We will provide updates as further information becomes available.”

James Reyes, the department’s chief of public safety and a candidate for sheriff, in a post on X said that an internal review is vital to maintain public trust.

In a statement Sunday evening, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava commended Daniels and Reyes for commencing a “swift internal review.”

“In recent years our nation has confronted important conversations on the use of force, and the internal review process will answer questions about why the troubling actions shown in public video footage were taken by the officer,” Levine Cava said.

‘...Never seen anything like it’

The Dolphins issued a statement saying Hill “was pulled over for a traffic incident about one block from the stadium and briefly detained by police. He has since been released.”

Dolphins venerable veteran Calais Campbell told an NFL reporter that he was also detained while trying to deescalate the situation. He said he has never had anything similar happen during his 17-year career.

Hill played from the start of the game.

“The most important thing is Tyreek is OK, physically, mentally,” agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. “He was very distraught about what happened. Tyreek has told me over and over that he’s a big supporter of police. This is crazy, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“He said he was driving into the stadium. The police stopped him, took him out of the car and, basically, at that point, got rough with him,” Rosenhaus continued. “From my estimation, it was completely unnecessary.”

Hill’s legal woes

This isn’t the first off-field incident involving Hill.

READ MORE: After years of chaos, Tyreek Hill says he’s cleaning up his life. ‘I lost my true self’

2014: Hill got sentenced to three years’ probation and an anger management course after pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation. The victim was his pregnant girlfriend.

2019: Police investigated Hill after his 3-year-old son suffered a broken arm. Medical investigations determined the arm was broken by accident.

2023: Video from Haulover Marina in North Miami-Dade appeared to show Hill slapping a marina worker on the back of the head on June 18, Father’s Day. Hill and the worker reached an agreement. Hill said the following month, “I just can’t make boneheaded mistakes like that.”

2023: A still-pending civil lawsuit filed in Broward County by Sophie Hall claimed that Hill invited Hall to do some offensive drills with him at his home. After Hall pushed Hill back at one point, the lawsuit claimed, Hill ran over Hall and caused her to break a leg.

Miami Herald sportswriter Barry Jackson contributed to this report.