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“He’s gotta go, man” (Video)

Posted on by angelo
“He’s gotta go, man” (Video)

A day after releasing a statement through his attorney calling for the “immediate firing” of the Miami Dade police officer who tackled him to the ground during a traffic stop, Tyreek Hill continued to demand the officer’s job.

Hill spoke to the media at Miami Dolphins practice on Wednesday for the first time since police body camera footage of the incident was released.

Hill responded “gone, gone, gone” when asked about the officer, then expanded on his appeal regarding the officer’s work.

“He’s got to go, man. In this case, not only did he treat me badly,” Hill said. “He treated my teammates with disrespect. He said some crazy things to them. They didn’t even do anything. What did they do to you? They just walk down the sidewalk.”

“So, I don’t know. He needs to go, man. Cheetah doesn’t often say people need to go. But you, out.”

Hill also said Wednesday: “I wish I could go back and do things differently.”

“My whole life is about accountability,” Hill said. “How can I improve? I have family members who are police officers. We’ve had conversations. Yes, I will say I could have been better. I could have rolled down my window in that case.

“The good thing about me, man, is I don’t want to draw attention. I don’t want to be like the cameras are on you, your phone is on you at that moment. But at the end of the day, you know, I’m human. I gotta follow the rules. I gotta do what everybody else would do.”

“Does that give them the right to beat me up? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things differently.”

Tyreek Hill spoke Wednesday for the first time since police body camera footage of his detention was released. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Tyreek Hill spoke Wednesday for the first time since police body camera footage of his detention was released. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tyreek Hill spoke Wednesday for the first time since police body camera footage of his detention was released. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Fritz Pollard Alliance released a statement condemning the actions of the officers involved in Sunday’s incident. The Fritz Pollard Alliance is an organization dedicated to promoting “diversity and equal employment opportunity in NFL coaching, management and scouting.”

“The Fritz Pollard Alliance strongly condemns the actions of Miami-Dade police officers who on Sunday attacked Tyreek Hill, Calais Campbell, and Jonnu Smith in a violent, threatening, and humiliating manner. These three men experienced what dozens of Black and Brown people across the country have experienced in their interactions with police, and which raises even more fears. …

“The Fritz Pollard Alliance calls on the Miami-Dade Police Department to reevaluate its standard operating procedures regarding traffic stops and interactions with bystanders.”

The incident occurred outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami before Miami’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Police pulled Hill over for a traffic stop as he was driving to the stadium and arrested Hill and teammate Calais Campbell. Campbell had pulled over in his car when he saw officers arrest Hill. Their teammate Jonnu Smith also pulled over and got out of his car during the incident.

Footage taken by the officers’ body cameras was released on Monday.

The footage shows Hill rolling up his car window after his initial interaction with the officer. The officer demanded that Hill roll it down again. When Hill did not roll down the window, two officers pulled him out of his car and slammed him face down on the street. One officer put his hand around the back of Hill’s head and put his knee on his back.

“When you’re told to do something, you do it,” the officer yelled at Hill. Shortly after, Hill’s teammates pulled up in their cars.

Officers also briefly detained Campbell and eventually released both players in time for them to play in Sunday’s game. Hill was cited for speeding at a “visual estimate of 60 mph” and a seat belt violation.

Since the incident, Hill and his agent Drew Rosenhaus have called for the officer who tackled him to the ground to be fired. The Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel have expressed support for Hill and Campbell in oral and written statements while condemning the officers’ actions as “unnecessary force.”

The South Florida Police Benevolent Association issued a statement defending the officers’ actions, saying that “Mr. Hill did not immediately cooperate with officers on scene” and that he “drove in a manner that placed himself and others in great danger.”