Tyreek Hill has successfully avoided any pre-game drama on the way to Hard Rock Stadium for tonight’s game against the Bills, arriving without incident just four days after his dramatic traffic stop.
The Miami Dolphins star wide receiver was dragged from his car and pinned to the ground by a police officer the last time he drove to Hard Rock Stadium, but he has successfully navigated his route to the parking lot for the Week 2 match-up.
All eyes were on Hill to make sure there was no similar situation on Thursday night, after he has dominated news headlines throughout the week in the wake of his dramatic incident on Sunday afternoon.
And any fears were allayed as he smiled for cameras while walking into the stadium alongside teammate Terron Armstead a few hours before the game.
He wore a while Adidas tracksuit and a huge NFL chain, while listening to music in his AirPods.
On Sunday, Hill was pulled over by cops, dragged from his car, pinned to the floor and placed in handcuffs before playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, with police bodycam footage revealing the full extent of the situation.
Speaking on Wednesday, Hill claimed that representatives for the officer at the center of his detainment had ‘tried to apologize, but we declined’, before the story took another bizarre twist on Thursday.
The officer’s name is Danny Torres, and his lawyers have now contradicted Hill, claiming: ‘Neither Officer Torres, his legal representatives, attorneys or anyone speaking on his behalf has had any communications whatsoever with Mr. Hill, his counsel or his representatives.’
Torres has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, and a furious argument has since emerged on social media over whether Hill was in the wrong for the part he played in it.
Hill called for the officer to be fired for what he branded ‘excessive’ force against him.
‘After a careful and thorough review of the multiple body cameras and concern citizens’ videos that captured the unfortunate events that transpired on Sunday, September 8, 2024, between several officers of the Miami Dade Police Department and Tyreek Hill, we are demanding for the immediate termination of the officer that has been placed on administrative leave,’ Hill said in a statement via attorney Julius B. Collins.
But the Dolphins star also accepted he should have handled himself differently.
When asked if he could have been more cooperative with police, the 30-year-old said: ‘I have family members who are cops. We’ve had conversations. Yes, I will say I could have been better. I could have let down my window in that instant.
‘The thing about me is I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras out, phones on you in that moment.
‘But at the end of the day I am human, I have got to follow rules and do what everyone else would do.
‘Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.’
On Sunday, Hill was released in time to face the Jaguars. He scored an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami rally for a 20-17 win. The wideout celebrated the score by mimicking being handcuffed.
