Tyreek Hill joins agent in calling for officer involved in incident to be fired

Ryan Young

Tyreek Hill and his agent both called for the officers involved in his detainment ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ season opener on Sunday to lose their jobs.

Hill released a statement through his attorneys on Tuesday night calling for the “immediate termination” of the officer who was placed on administrative leave. That officer, Hill’s attorney said, “placed his hands on or around” Hill’s neck multiple times and “continued his escalation in his use of force” even when Hill warned him about his knee injury.

“The events that occurred … are just a reminder of the realities of the many injustices that people of Black and minority communities face at the hands of law enforcement,” the statement said, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “While we are in no way accusing the officer of being racist, we are accusing the customs and practices of law enforcement from a historical standpoint of being discriminatory and oppressive to Black and minority communities.

“We cannot ignore this fact and remain silent on the issue just because it’s a tough conversation.”

That statement came hours after his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, slammed the officers for their treatment of Hill — who was pulled out of his car and placed in handcuffs after he was pulled over just a few blocks from Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. Hill was officially cited for speeding at a “visual estimation of 60 mph,” according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, and also cited for a seatbelt violation.

Rosenhaus, speaking on "The Dan Le Batard Show," took it a step further.

"For me, personally, I believe the police officers that did that to Tyreek shouldn't be in that position — they should be let go," Rosenhaus said. "Look at the guy who kicked him — that guy should be fired. That's out of control. The guy that jumped in and put him in a chokehold? There's no place for a police officer to have a badge that operates like that, when Tyreek wasn't being aggressive, or violent or fighting back in any capacity.

"That was horrendous how they treated him. They didn't treat him like a human being."

Hill and teammate Calais Campbell were both detained briefly ahead of the Dolphins’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, though both played in the game as scheduled. Campbell stopped to attempt to de-escalate the situation. The Miami-Dade Police Department released body camera footage from the incident on Monday night amid their investigation, and they placed one officer on administrative duties.

Shortly after that footage was released, the Dolphins released a statement saying they were “saddened by the overly aggressive and violent conduct” that police directed at Hill, Campbell and Jonnu Smith, who was also at the scene.

"It is both maddening and heartbreaking to watch the very people we trust to protect our community use such unnecessary force and hostility towards these players, yet it is also a reminder that not every situation like this ends in peace, as we are grateful this one did," the statement said in part. "'What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' is a question that will carry with resounding impact. ... We will stand by Tyreek and our players as they work to use their platform and this situation to make a positive impact in our community."

Hill is scheduled to speak with local media on Wednesday for the first time since the footage was released. He said after the game on Sunday that he didn’t know why he was detained. At least one of Hill's teammates has joined him and Rosenhaus in calling for the officer involved to be fired.

The following video includes NSFW language and images that may be upsetting.

“I don’t believe when you look at the video, and I talked to Tyreek about this, that his conduct in any way merited any type of physical force, to put him in handcuffs, to yank him out of the car,” Rosenhaus said. “I mean, how about a little respect? Give him a ticket. If you thought it was a moving violation, give him the ticket. But handcuffs and the way they kicked him and hit him and the chokehold, that was mind-boggling. … The police officers involved should regret this.”

Attorneys representing the Miami-Dade Police Department officer who was placed on administrative duties for their role in the incident called for “immediate reinstatement” on Tuesday.

Placing the unnamed officer on administrative duties, they said, was “premature.” It’s unclear if the statement was written before or after the body camera footage was released to the public on Monday night.

"We urge all parties to refrain from making public statements that may misrepresent our client's actions and mislead the public about Mr. Hill's detainment," one of his attorneys said in the statement, via ESPN.

Hill has vowed to explore “all legal remedies” through his attorneys. The South Florida Police Benevolent Association said in a statement that Hill was “not immediately cooperative."

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