Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins wide receiver, was handcuffed and detained by police just before the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Atlantic writer, Jemele Hill, expressed dissatisfaction with the reasons for the incident. A video circulating social media showed Hill being handled by four cops as he lay face down on the road. Later reports revealed that he was detained for reckless driving and had a verbal altercation with police.
The Dolphins released a statement, saying, “This morning, WR Tyreek Hill was pulled over for a traffic incident about one block from the stadium and briefly detained by police. He has since been released. Several teammates saw the incident and stopped to offer support. Tyreek and all other players involved have safely arrived at the stadium and will be available for today’s game.
Former ESPN personality Jemele Hill took to Twitter with a conspiracy theory, blaming Donald Trump for the incident. She tweeted, “A reminder that Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, is a huge Donald Trump supporter — the same Trump who supports giving ALL police immunity from prosecution. Do with that what you will.
Despite Jemele Hill’s framing, South Florida Police Benevolent Association president, Steadman Stahl, explained that Hill was detained for “officer safety after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.” Stahl added, “Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs.
Stahl said that the player was issued two citations and stated, “While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident.