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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is weighing legal action after he was handcuffed and detained during a traffic stop, hours before a game.
Hill, 30, was stopped by Miami-Dade police officers on Sunday morning near the Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium for speeding and reckless driving, according to NBC Miami.
Video of the incident, filmed by a passer-by, shows Hill face down on the ground near his luxury sports car with an officer placing his knee on his back.
Another officer moves Hill’s arms behind his back as they handcuff him at the side of the road. At least four officers are present, the video shows. Two officers then pulled Hill to his feet.
Fellow Dolphins player, Calais Campbell, who witnessed the incident said he was also handcuffed while trying to discuss the situation with the officers, CNN reports.
Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said the NFL star’s legal team “will be pursuing this matter on Tyreek’s behalf.”
“What happened today to Tyreek at the stadium is completely unacceptable,” Rosenhaus told the Miami Herald. “Tyreek did not deserve to be treated that way by the police involved.”
Hill still made it to the Dolphins first game of the NFL season on Sunday afternoon and helped lead his team to a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One of Hill’s teammates pretended to place him in handcuffs to celebrate scoring a touchdown during the game.
After the game, Hill, who is Black, told reporters that he had “no idea” why the situation escalated or why he was handcuffed.
“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.”
Campbell, the team’s defensive tackle who was also handcuffed, said after the game he tried to “deescalate” the situation.
“They put handcuffs on me too, and I was like ‘What’s going on?’ I didn’t understand what the issue was,” Campbell told the NFL Network. “For him to put handcuffs on me, I felt some type of way.”
He added: “But that just goes to show how our resilience though. We didn’t let that stop us. We just got back in line, got focused again, and went out there and played a good football game. But that definitely was an interesting way to start a ballgame.”
The Miami-Dade Police Department is investigating the incident. One of the officers involved has been placed on administrative leave, police director Stephanie Daniels said in a statement on Sunday.
“Following the incident involving Tyreek Hill, I have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation to ensure a thorough review of the matter. One of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is conducted,” Daniels said. “I’m committed to transparency and accountability to the community with any situation involving my officers.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a statement commending the police department for “the immediate steps” taken.
“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.
Hill said he was grateful his teammates supported him in the situation.
“When they showed up, it made me realize that we got a f****** good team this year,” he said. “For them to put their life on the line.”
The Independent has contacted Rosenhaus and the Miami-Dade Police Department for comment.
