Miami Dolphins release statement on ‘maddening and heartbreaking’ police conduct

The Miami Dolphins released a new statement Monday night about the Sunday morning incident that led to two players being briefly detained by the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The statement addressed newly released body camera footage, which showed how quickly the situation escalated after star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was pulled over on his way to Miami’s stadium.

Dolphins leaders argued that the police officers acted in an “overly aggressive and violent” manner.

“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.

The Miami-Dade Police Department placed one officer involved in Sunday’s incident on administrative duty on Sunday. Then on Monday, the department released 105 minutes of body camera footage, explaining that the release was part of its commitment to “transparency and maintaining public trust,” per NPR .

Tyreek Hill body camera footage

The footage shows Hill being pulled over for speeding on his way to the stadium Sunday morning. The interaction between Hill and the officers quickly becomes tense when Hill rolls his window up while the officers are still talking to him about what happened.

The NFL star has since said that he rolled his window up to try to prevent Dolphins fans in the area from figuring out what was happening.

“I didn’t want to create a scene at all,” Hill said during a CNN interview Monday night. “I just wanted really wanted to get the ticket and go about my way.”

The footage shows one of the police officers opening the door to Hill’s car and pulling him out. Soon after, he handcuffs Hill.

“Throughout the footage, the aggressive officer is shown yelling at Hill and various bystanders who attempt to de-escalate the situation, including Hill’s teammates Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith, both of whom are seen in the recordings. Other officers behave more calmly,” NPR reported.

After more Miami-Dade police officers arrived, as well as security officials from the Dolphins stadium, Hill and other players were allowed to go about their days. Hill was cited for careless driving and for not wearing a seat belt, but no other players received citations.

The South Florida Police Benevolent Association has said that the officers on the scene were following policy and protecting their own safety by placing Hill in handcuffs, per CNN.

The Dolphins went on to win Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-17.

Tyreek Hill on CNN

During his Monday appearance on CNN, Hill spoke about his plans to work to improve relationships between police departments and the communities they serve, noting that he and his wife have been brainstorming “how we can be part of the change.”

“It’s important to us,” he said. “We want to be able to change lives all the way across the world not just in Miami.”

In their statement, leaders of the Miami Dolphins said they will support Hill and others players working to bring something positive out of a difficult situation.

“We will stand beside Tyreek and our players as they work to use their platform and this situation to make a positive impact in our community. We have always believed that the game of football holds a unique power to brig people together, and we remain hopeful that through the collective work of the players, organization and our community partners, we can create lasting change,” the statement read.