The Miami Dolphins have issued a statement demanding "swift and strong action" after bodycam footage was released of the moment wide receiver Tyreek Hill was arrested .
Footage from the Miami-Dade Police Department showed officers approaching Hill in his car after stopping him outside Hard Rock Stadium before Sunday's narrow win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Things took a turn when Hill rolled up his window, leading officers to forcefully remove him from the car and drag him to the ground, putting him in handcuffs and detaining him.
After asking Hill several times to keep his window down, one officer declared: "Keep your window down or I’m gonna get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car". After being dragged to the ground and placed in handcuffs, Hill told his agent, Drew Rosenhaus over the phone that he was being arrested.
“When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand?” an officer said while standing over Hill. He replied: “Take me to jail, bruh, do what you gotta do.”
Teammates Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith are also seen in the footage, stopping at the scene in an effort to diffuse the situation and help their teammate. Campbell approaches the scene with his hands up while Smith pulled his car up ahead and was promptly asked by police to leave and then to hand over his license.
The Dolphins have strongly condemned the "overly aggressive and violent conduct" towards their players. And they echoed Hill's sentiment from his post-game press conference , questioning what might have happened if he was not the subject of the incident.
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The Dolphins statement read: "We are saddened by the overly aggressive and violent conduct directed towards Tyreek Hill, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith by police officers before yesterday's game.
"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. 'What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' is a question that will carry with resounding impact.
"We are proud to have a strong and positive relationship with the Miami-Dade Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and recognize that the vast majority of officers do serve the community with the utmost character and desire to protect all citizens.
"However, as is on full display in the videos released tonight, there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power. While we commend MDPD for taking the right and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.
"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 bring people together, and we remain hopeful that through the collective work of the players, organization and our community partners, we can create lasting change."
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Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie V. Daniels announced that bodycam footage was released as part of their "commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust", adding: “While standard protocol is to release body cam footage after the internal review has concluded, the available body cam footage - a combined 105 minutes 33 seconds - is being released the day following the incident to reinforce the Department's commitment to keeping the public informed.
“The department is committed to conducting a thorough, objective investigation into this matter, and we will continue to update the public on the outcome of that process."
Steadman Stahl, President of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, accused Hill of being “uncooperative” after being pulled over.
"Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs," a statement read. "Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground."
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