CNN
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill told CNN he was still shaken after being detained by police on Sunday en route to Hard Rock Stadium for the first game of the NFL season, saying he was still shocked it happened.
In their first interview since police released body camera footage of the incident, Hill and his attorney appeared with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, and Hill said he was still processing what happened. Video of the incident shows police pulling Hill from his car and repeatedly shoving him to the ground after stopping him for a traffic violation.
“I was shocked. It was crazy because everything happened so fast. Everything just happened so fast for me and I really couldn’t take in everything that was happening,” Hill told The Source.
“I wasn’t moving fast because I had injuries, I had to go through things. I play a physically demanding sport, I’ve been doing this for a while now, man, so I’ve struggled with some stuff, so I guess the officials felt like I didn’t fit their schedule,” he added. “I did it, but I’m still in shock. I’m embarrassed.”
On Monday, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association defended the actions of the officers involved, stressing that Hill was never arrested. The association said Hill was uncooperative and that the officers acted in the interest of their own safety.
Bodycam footage shows the moment NFL player Tyreek Hill was arrested
Hill disputed the police union’s version of events, saying he handed over his badge but refused to leave his window closed as fans drove past him to the game.
“I left my window down, I cooperated, and I gave them my ID. Then I immediately rolled my window up, and after that I rolled my window back up, and then he came back to the window and said something like, ‘Now roll your window down, now roll your window down,’ and then I rolled it down,” Hill said. “And then he said, ‘If you don’t roll your window down, I’m going to rip you out of your car.’ I said something like, ‘Sir, my window is down, so what do you want?'”
“I don’t want to make a scene because A – if I roll down my window, people walking or driving by will realize it’s me and start taking pictures. I didn’t want to make a scene at all, I just wanted to get the ticket and then just go on my way.”
Hill has suffered leg injuries in recent years and told police during the traffic stop that he had just had knee surgery. The wide receiver told Collins that it could be difficult for him to get out of his car quickly, which police may have interpreted as insubordination.
“I was about to get out of my car because they told me to get out. I wanted to get out, but because of the way my car is designed, there’s a dent in my McLaren,” he said.
In an earlier interview with NBC, Hill acknowledged that he may have been driving too fast.
When asked if he thought he was speeding, Hill said: “I have no idea, I have no idea. But I wasn’t going 80 or 70 or 60… I’m surprised I got pulled over.”
The Dolphins star recalled that some of his teammates came to help de-escalate the situation.
“When I saw Jonnu and Calais pull over … I didn’t feel alone anymore,” Hill said, according to NBC. “They ended up handcuffing Calais because he was only 6’1″, I believe. But it was crazy. It was crazy how the same cop that arrested me handcuffed Calais for just standing on the side of the road.”
Hill said he tries not to think about what would have happened to him if he wasn’t a famous football player.
“If I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, the worst-case scenario we would have written is a different article. Tyreek Hill getting shot outside Hard Rock Stadium is the worst-case scenario,” Hill said. “It’s crazy that me and my family had to go through that.”
Hill scored an 80-yard touchdown in Miami’s 20-17 win over the Jaguars on Sunday and celebrated by putting his arms behind his back and locking his wrists together – perhaps a nod to being handcuffed the previous Sunday.
“You have to learn to laugh and have fun,” Hill said. “Man, when people think you’re in a bad situation or you’re at a low point, I always try to find the good in every situation. That’s how I can stay so strong-willed as a young man, and that goes for young black man too.”
On Monday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel shared his thoughts on the situation.
“It’s hard for me not to get angrier the more I think about it,” McDaniel said at a press conference.
“And that’s because of my teammates and me trying to put myself emotionally in the situation that they described. And then knowing more than doing what’s honestly killing me is knowing that I don’t know exactly what that feels like.”
“I think it is extremely important to wait until information is available before making a hasty judgment, but I nevertheless know that the sentiments that have been expressed to me are troubling,” McDaniel added.
“But out of adversity, two things have come. I’m super proud of my teammates for being teammates, and super proud of our guys for understanding the social responsibility of a platform and intending to live up to it.”
McDaniel was asked about the police’s delay in releasing bodycam footage of the incident and cited “an open/active internal investigation into the matter.”
“I think in order for someone to form an opinion when there are facts, they should have facts first before they form an opinion,” McDaniel replied.
“I’m confident that everything will be checked out. I’m convinced that this is too much in the spotlight to be swept under the rug, so I feel like now is not the time to learn what I don’t know now.
“But I think facts are more important than anything else. That’s why I think it’s important that people allow a fair process for the dissemination of all information.”
The Dolphins coach said the team’s short week could prove “therapeutic” for the players because of Thursday night’s home game.
“There are a lot of very constructive things to think about, and sometimes that gift of ultimate distraction can be our greatest gift,” McDaniel said.
“I don’t know what it’s like in this particular situation, but there have just been countless times where things have happened to players in all kinds of ways, and they find comfort in the process and the commitment to each other and the team.”
The Dolphins will face their division rival Bills on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
This story and its headline have been updated with additional reporting.
