NFL star Tyreek Hill not 'immediately cooperative' as bodycam of arrest released

The president of South Florida’s police union says Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and placed face down on the ground during a traffic stop because he was not “immediately cooperative” with officers, but Hill said he was respectful throughout the interaction.

Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said Hill was “redirected” to the ground after refusing to sit when he was briefly detained outside the Dolphins’ home stadium in an incident that resulted in one officer being immediately placed on administrative leave amid an internal investigation.

Passing fans and some teammates saw Hill in handcuffs with at least three officers around him following the stop that quickly went viral just hours before Miami’s NFL season-opening 20-17 win over Jacksonville on Sunday.

Hill, 30, later said he didn’t know why the officers placed him in handcuffs.

“I have no idea, for real,” Hill said.

“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. So like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

Stahl said Hill was handcuffed according to the police department’s policy.

“At no time was he ever under arrest,” Stahl said in the statement.

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

Miami-Dade police still aren’t saying what infraction Hill was cited with — he said they told him he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving — but they have confirmed that Hill’s teammate Calais Campbell, who was also briefly detained, wasn’t cited.

Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie Daniels told the Miami Herald on Monday that the decision to place the officer on leave came after a review of the body camera footage from the roadside incident.

Hill’s teammate, Campbell, was also briefly handcuffed for “disobeying a direct order” by being too close after he said he tried to de-escalate the situation. Campbell said he was on his way to the game when he saw Hill handcuffed.

“They were trying to yank him down to the ground,” Campbell said Monday on ESPN.

“I saw them kick him and pull him down ... I feel like one officer was pushing on his head.”

Campbell said teammates Jonnu Smith and Odell Beckham Jr. were also there to support Hill, who repeated to them, “Don’t leave me.”

This isn’t the first off-field incident involving Hill.

He was accused of punching his girlfriend in college and got kicked off the team at Oklahoma State, later pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation. In 2019, prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge Hill after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancee and their three-year-old child.

Last off-season, Hill was under investigation by Miami-Dade police for assault and battery after it was reported that he got into an argument with a South Florida marina worker, which apparently ended with Hill hitting the worker. Hill and the man later resolved their dispute.