Tyreek Hill admitted he should have behaved differently toward police before they violently pinned him to the ground during a traffic stop Sunday.
The Miami Dolphins star was asked Wednesday if he thought he could have been more cooperative with police. He said: “I’ve thought about it. My whole life is about responsibility. How can I do better?”
“I have relatives who are police officers. We have talked about it. Yes, I must say that I could have acted better. I could have rolled down the window at that moment.
“The thing with me is that I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I don’t want cameras or phones pointed at me at that moment. But at the end of the day I’m a human being, I have to follow the rules and do what everyone else would do.
“Now, does that give them the right to beat the shit out of me? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a little differently.”
Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was pulled from his car and handcuffed on Sunday.
Danny Torres was the police officer assigned to administrative duties after Tyreek Hill was arrested
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spoke moments before Hill and agreed that his player could have behaved differently with police before his violent arrest on Sunday. But, as McDaniel emphasized to reporters on Tuesday, that doesn’t make his violent encounter with Miami-Dade police any less outrageous.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” McDaniel told reporters Tuesday when asked to react to police footage of the violent incident. “It was sadness.”
Hill has since been cited for reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt after police pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him while he was on his way to the team’s game against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. Police footage shows Hill struggling to follow instructions when an officer, later identified as Danny Torres, opened the door to the receiver’s car and violently handcuffed him before forcing him to the ground.
McDaniel was asked Tuesday if Hill could have done things differently during the game.
“There are always things you can do differently,” McDaniel said, before agreeing with the premise of the question.
“That’s a whole other conversation,” McDaniel said, before adding, “But sure.”
Ultimately, McDaniel believes Hill did nothing to provoke Torres’ backlash.
“A conversation about what caused the unnecessary is trivial to the unnecessary,” McDaniel said.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (pictured) reacted to Tyreek Hill’s police video on Wednesday
Hill has had personal issues throughout his college and NFL career. He was accused of beating his now ex-girlfriend Crystal Espinal in 2014, which led to his expulsion from Oklahoma State. Later in 2019, Hill was investigated for alleged abuse of his son, who somehow suffered a broken arm.
While he pleaded guilty to domestic battery and battery by strangulation, the 2019 investigation did not lead to any convictions or even the filing of charges.
Hill now has about 10 children, depending on the outcome of pending paternity cases.
Through it all, McDaniel said he’s seen Hill mature as a person.
“Tyreek is a different human being than I knew,” McDaniel told reporters. “He’s still evolving. … You’re responsible for the things that people know. Sometimes when you take a step forward, there’s a step back.”
Police citations stated that Hill was stopped because he was believed to be driving 60 mph.
Hill has since called for Torres to be fired and placed on leave.
Hill believes a higher price should be paid for what he claimed was “excessive” force used against him.
“After a careful and thorough review of multiple body cameras and videos from concerned citizens that captured the unfortunate events that occurred on Sunday, September 8, 2024, between several Miami Dade Police Department officers and Tyreek Hill, we demand the immediate termination of the officer who has been placed on administrative leave,” Hill said in a statement through attorney Julius B. Collins.
Shocking videos showed Hill handcuffed and pinned to the ground after he was pulled over for speeding, while one officer even appeared to punch him on the sidewalk.
As police violently detained him, several of Hill’s teammates stopped to try to calm the situation, but defensive tackle Calais Campbell was also briefly handcuffed.
In the shocking footage, which emerged earlier this week, officers can be heard telling Hill to “stop crying” as the NFL star said: “Take me to jail… do what you have to do.”
The wide receiver was pinned to the ground by officials before the Dolphins’ season opener.
Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus calls for firing of Miami police officers
On Tuesday, police said Hill was pulled over for allegedly driving 60 mph while not wearing a seat belt. He was fined a total of $308.
“On at least two occasions, the officer who was escalating the situation placed his hands on or around Mr. Hill’s neck during the traffic stop. After the officer forcibly removed Mr. Hill from his vehicle, he placed him face down on the pavement,” Hill’s attorney’s statement added.
‘The officer then placed his knee on Mr. Hill’s back and his hand around the back of his neck. Once Mr. Hill was handcuffed and standing on the sidewalk, after being ordered to sit down, Mr. Hill notified the requesting officer of his intent to do so and again, the same officer from before grabbed Mr. Hill from behind and forced him to the ground. As he did so, the officer again placed his hand on or around Mr. Hill’s neck.
‘Even when Mr. Hill informed the officer that he had had a procedure performed on his knee, the officer ignored his statement and continued to escalate his use of force.
‘Every action taken by a law enforcement officer is governed by standard operating procedures. We believe the officers’ use of force was excessive, escalatory and reckless. We demand that the officer be immediately fired.’
