Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back after videos of Tyreek Hill being beaten and pinned to the ground during an arrest went viral Sunday.
Hill was a block from Hard Rock Stadium, on his way to the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jaguars, when he was stopped and handcuffed face down.
After a video circulated of a police officer apparently lunging at Hill and punching him during his arrest, Smith criticized officers for using excessive force during what was called a “minor” traffic violation. He also compared it to the arrest of golf star Scottie Scheffler before the PGA Championship earlier this year.
“This story with the police involving @cheetah is not going away, dammit.” Smith wrote‘Traffic violation? Fine. But what the hell was he face down, handcuffed, standing up, and then the other officer ran up behind him and forced him to the ground again? Hell no! Excessive! Wrong! Again, this is not going away.’
Smith also posted a clip of the arrest and reaffirmed his stance.
Stephen A. Smith was furious after videos of Tyreek Hill’s arrest went viral on Sunday
“Check it out for yourself,” Smith wrote. “This is totally unnecessary nonsense. And by the way… I know that the Scottie Scheffler incident occurred in Georgia, not Florida, and that he was arrested, detained, and prosecuted.
“I also know that we don’t know all the details, blah blah blah! But didn’t they throw him face down on the ground in handcuffs? And then the officers forced him to sit down a second time. No! This story isn’t going away, and it doesn’t have to.”
On May 17, Scheffler was arrested on his way to Valhalla to play golf during the PGA Championship. Fans woke up in the morning to photos of him in handcuffs and a mugshot.
After the unexpected turn, Scheffler was greeted with enthusiasm and finished the day near the top of the standings.
While the manner of their arrests is very contrasting, Hill was released shortly after and took the field for the game against Jacksonville.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was arrested on his way to their home opener
On May 17, Scheffler was arrested while heading to Valhalla during the PGA Championship.
“We are aware of the recent arrest of Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill by officers of the Miami-Dade Police Department,” Miami-Dade Police Department Chief Stephanie V. Daniels told DailyMail.com.
“I have requested an immediate review of all details related to the incident and we are also reviewing available body camera footage. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
After the arrest, the Dolphins confirmed he was safe and noted how several teammates intervened to calm the situation after seeing him in handcuffs.
The team’s statement read: ‘This morning, WR Tyreek Hill was stopped for a traffic incident one block from the stadium and was briefly detained by police. He has since been released.
Hill was released shortly after and is expected to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
‘Several teammates saw the incident and stopped to offer support.
‘Tyreek and all other players involved have arrived safely at the stadium and will be available for today’s match.’
Despite the release, Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called the incident “heartbreaking” and the police’s actions “completely unnecessary.” Rosenhaus also revealed that his group will be taking legal action.
“I’m very distressed about this,” he told Darlington on ESPN’s NFL Countdown on Sunday. “We’re going to have to look into it.”