Miami Dolphins address police conduct after Tyreek Hill incident – ​​Deseret News

The Miami Dolphins released a new statement Monday night regarding the Sunday morning incident that led to the brief detention of two players by the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The statement refers to recently released body camera footage that shows how quickly the situation escalated after star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was arrested while walking to Miami’s stadium.

Dolphins officials said the officers acted in an “excessively aggressive and violent” manner.

“It is both infuriating and heartbreaking to see the people we trust to protect our community use such unnecessary force and hostility towards these players, but it is also a reminder that not all situations like this end peacefully, as we are grateful that they did in this case,” the statement read.

The Miami-Dade Police Department placed an officer involved in Sunday’s incident on administrative assignment Sunday. Then on Monday, the department released 105 minutes of body camera footage, saying the release was part of its commitment to “transparency and maintaining public trust,” according to NPR.

Tyreek Hill body camera footage

The footage shows Hill being pulled over for speeding while driving to the stadium on Sunday morning. The interaction between Hill and the officers quickly becomes tense as Hill rolls up his window while the officers are still talking to him about what happened.

The NFL star has since said he rolled up his window to try to prevent Dolphins fans in the area from understanding what was happening.

“I didn’t want to cause a scene at all,” Hill said in an interview with CNN Monday night. “I just wanted to get my ticket and go on my way.”

The video shows one of the officers opening the door of Hill’s car and pulling him out. Shortly after, he handcuffs him.

“Throughout the video, the aggressive officer is seen yelling at Hill and several people trying to de-escalate the situation, including Hill’s teammates Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith, both of whom are present in the recordings. Other officers behave more calmly,” NPR reported.

After Miami-Dade police officers and Dolphins stadium security arrived, Hill and the other players were allowed to go about their business. Hill was cited for reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt, but no other players were ticketed.

The South Florida Police Benevolent Association said officers on the scene were following policy and protecting their own safety by handcuffing Hill, according to CNN.

The Dolphins won Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-17.

Tyreek Hill on CNN

During his appearance on CNN Monday, Hill spoke about his plans to improve relations between police departments and the communities they serve, noting that he and his wife have been thinking about “how we can be part of the change.”

“It’s important to us,” he said. “We want to be able to change lives all over the world, not just in Miami.”

In their statement, Miami Dolphins officials said they will support Hill and other players as they work to make something positive out of a difficult situation.

“We will stand with Tyreek and our players as they work to use their platform and this situation to make a positive impact on our community. We have always believed that football has the unique power to bring people together, and we remain hopeful that through the collective work of the players, the organization and our community partners, we can create lasting change,” the statement read.