Cop benched after NFL star handcuffed in traffic stop

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill recreates pre-game handcuffing after 80-yard touchdown

(Image credit: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)

What happened

The Miami-Dade Police Department opened an investigation into a traffic stop of Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill as he arrived at Hard Rock Stadium for Sunday's season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Video from passersby showed Hill on the ground and in handcuffs. "One of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is conducted," Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels said in a statement.

Who said what

"I still don't know what happened," Hill said after the game. "I wasn't disrespectful" and "didn't curse," he said, adding that he wants to be a police officer after retiring from the NFL. "I don't want to bring race into it," Hill said, but "what if I wasn't Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what those guys would have done."

Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also briefly handcuffed after coming to Hill's aid, said placing the officer on leave "makes sense based on the situation." Hill made seven receptions for 130 yards during the Dolphins' 20-17 win, and after a career-best 80-yard touchdown, he celebrated by having a teammate pretend to put him in handcuffs.

What next?

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the incident was part of America's "important conversations on the use of force, and the internal review process will answer the questions" raised by the officer's "troubling actions shown in public video footage."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.