MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill smiled and waved at cameras as he arrived at Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, four days after he was pulled from his sports car by police officers during a traffic stop on his way to the stadium.
The Dolphins and Bills were set to kick off the AFC East matchup at 8:15 p.m.
A verbal dispute between Hill and Miami-Dade police officers escalated quickly just hours before the Dolphins kicked off their season on Sunday. Hill rolled up the window of his McLaren sports car after an officer told him to put it down, and it led to Hill being pulled out of the vehicle by his arm and head and forced face-first onto the ground. Officers handcuffed Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back.
Hill was eventually released after receiving citations for careless driving and failing to wear his seat belt — the total fine is $309. Hours later, he caught an 80-yard touchdown pass that sparked the Dolphins’ comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Police Department Director Stephanie Daniels put Officer Danny Torres on administrative duty, and an internal affairs investigation is underway. The department released the identity of Torres, a 27-year veteran of the department, on Tuesday.
Hill has since said he could have handled some parts of the initial interaction differently.
“I could have let down my window in that instant,” Hill said Wednesday. “But the thing about me is, I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras-out, phones-on-you in that moment. But at the end of the day, I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I’ve got to do what everyone else would do.
“Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not,” Hill continued. “But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
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