Dolphins coaches, players react to ‘shocking’ Tyreek Hill video

Sports News

“I was kind of moved when I heard Tyreek’s voice on the video.”

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill’s teammates and coaches have described as “inflammatory” and “disgraceful” the body camera footage that shows a police officer pulling the Miami Dolphins wide receiver out of his sports car and throwing him face-first to the ground after being pulled over for a traffic violation.

The incident outside Dolphins Stadium drew national attention and sparked locker room conversations among Hill’s teammates, some of whom have privately spoken out to police about their experiences, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said.

“Hearing Tyreek’s voice on the tape, it kind of got me emotional,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday.

Video released by Miami-Dade Police on Monday evening showed the situation quickly escalating after Hill rolled down his car window during a traffic stop just hours before Miami’s season opener.

Hill rolled down his driver’s side window and handed his license to the officer who was knocking on the window, after which Hill repeatedly asked the officer to stop knocking and rolled the dark-tinted window up again.

After multiple exchanges around the window, body camera footage shows officers grabbing Hill’s arms and head, dragging him out of the car and forcing him face down on the ground, then handcuffing him and one of the officers putting a knee on the center of his back.

“It’s unfortunate that it had to end the way it did,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. “When you spend all that time with guys, you always want to be there for them. I, like a lot of guys, want to be there for them.”

In an interview with CNN, Hill said he was confused and “shocked” by what happened and believed he was following officers’ instructions.

The video shows officers standing and handcuffing Hill and leading him to the sidewalk. One officer instructs Hill to sit on the curb. Hill tells the officer he had just had knee surgery. An officer then jumps behind Hill and places a bar around his upper chest or neck, pulling him into a sitting position.

Police Commissioner Stephanie Daniels opened an internal investigation the same day and placed one officer on administrative duty.

The department on Tuesday identified the officer who was placed on administrative leave as Danny Torres, who had been with the department for 27 years. Torres’ attorney, Ignacio Alvarez, issued a statement calling for his client’s immediate reinstatement while respecting Daniels’ request for an investigation.

Stedman Staal, president of the South Florida police union, released a statement Monday saying Hill was not “immediately cooperative” with officers and that officers followed regulations by handcuffing Hill.

The altercation, which was caught on body camera footage from six officers, has brought the debate over interactions between Black people and police to the forefront.

“The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t help but realize I was becoming more and more upset,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday before the video was released. “I think what’s upsetting to me, honestly, is I don’t know exactly what it feels like.”

McDaniel, who is biracial, said she hasn’t been in a similar situation to Hill’s but is “conscious” of conversations about race because of her own life experiences.

Safety Jevon Holland said he wasn’t surprised by what he saw on the video.

“I’m 24 years old,” Holland said. “Since the rise of Twitter, since the Rodney King incident, there have been so many very disturbing and disturbing videos and body camera footage posted over and over again. I wish I was more shocked and surprised, but I’m not.”

Holland also criticized those who use Hill’s past allegations of violence to justify the use of excessive force.

“Just because someone has done something in the past, whether it was right or wrong, does not justify or condemn them for being treated this way when the circumstances have absolutely nothing to do with that,” Holland said.

Many players were perplexed to see Hill’s teammate, Calais Campbell, handcuffed. Campbell, a widely respected defensive tackle in his 17th NFL season, saw Hill in handcuffs and stopped to help, but ended up being handcuffed himself. Hill and Campbell were eventually released and allowed into the stadium. Hill was charged with careless driving and not wearing a seat belt.

“If I’m Kaleigh Campbell and I’m 38 years old and you go to work, no matter what personal naivety you may have had, you’re a giant, strong, miraculous guy who has done the right thing in every way, shape and form. There’s a very inspirational element to that,” McDaniel said.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who is black, also said he was shocked by the video and reflected on his own life.

“It’s a shame in this day and age,” Weaver said, “I have two sons, and my wife is Mexican-American. They were both born light-skinned, so I even felt a sense of relief that they would be able to avoid some of the same issues that I’ve had to deal with throughout my life.”

Hill’s attorney, Drew Rosenhaus, appeared on Dan Le Batard on Tuesday morning and called for at least one of the officers involved to be fired.

“Personally, I don’t think the officers that did that to Tyreek should be in that position. They should be fired,” Rosenhaus said as video of the incident was played. “Look at the guy that just kicked him. That guy should be fired. This is out of hand.”

Tagovailoa said Hill rallied some teammates together to try to turn the situation into something that would benefit the community.

With a key game against division rival Buffalo looming on Thursday, Tagovailoa said the Dolphins need to get through a week of turmoil while also not losing perspective.

“We’re not going to shy away from the obvious. This is a fact. Let it be what it is. Let it take its course,” Tagovailoa said. “If we ignore that and start thinking football is the most important thing to us, then I don’t think this is just something that Tyreek went through.”

“This is what normal people go through. It’s life. Football, we’re happy to do this. Happy to play this sport. Happy to do what we love and make all this money. It’s fun. But that’s life. There’s no game in it.”