South Florida police union defends actions against Tyreek Hill, saying he was 'uncooperative'

The South Florida police union said actions taken against Tyreek Hill were warranted after the Dolphins receiver was "uncooperative" during a traffic stop Sunday on his way to Miami's game against Jacksonville.

Hill was placed in handcuffs because he was "not immediately cooperative" and then was "redirected to the ground" as he remained uncooperative and "refused to sit on the ground," the union said Monday in a statement released to the media.

Hill was issued two citations, including one for reckless driving, before helping the Dolphins rally from a two-touchdown deficit and defeat the Jaguars, 20-17. He caught seven passes for 130 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown.

Here is a large portion of the statement issued by South Florida PBA president Steadman Stahl:

"Before the Dolphins game yesterday, an incident occurred where Tyreek Hill was placed in handcuffs before being released. 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.

"Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground.

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"Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes, Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave.”

The union said it is backing the actions of its officers.

“In this case, while we will wait for the investigation to run its course, based on what we know, we stand with the actions of our officers but look forward to further open communication moving forward. While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident."

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: South Florida police union defends actions against Tyreek Hill, saying he was 'uncooperative'