A police officer was temporarily placed on administrative leave after the incident and the department has begun an internal review.
Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on the ground by police during a traffic stop because he was not “immediately cooperative” with officers, the president of the South Florida police union said in a statement Monday.
Passing fans and some teammates saw Hill in handcuffs with at least three officers around him following the stop outside the team’s home stadium that quickly went viral just hours before the Dolphins kicked off their season Sunday.
Hill later said he felt he was respectful and didn’t know why the officers placed him in handcuffs.
“I have no idea, for real,” Hill said Sunday after the game. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. So like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”
Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said Hill was handcuffed according to the police department’s policy.
“Before the Dolphins game yesterday, an incident occurred where Tyreek Hill was placed in handcuffs before being released,” Stahl said in a statement. “First, to be clear, at no time was he ever under arrest. He was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.
