The fallout from Tyreek Hill‘s run-in with Miami-Dade Police has taken a bizarre twist after a cop denied ever attempting to apologize to the Dolphins star.
During a media conference on Wednesday, the wide receiver claimed that representatives for the officer at the center of his detainment had reached out to apologize.
Hill was dragged from his car, pinned to the floor and placed in handcuffs ahead of the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
‘They already tried (to apologize), but we declined,’ Hill said after bodycam footage of the incident emerged.
‘It’s up to everybody else’s judgment to have their own opinion about how they feel about the video.’
Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was dragged from his car and placed in handcuffs on Sunday
Danny Torres was the cop placed on administrative duties after Tyreek Hill was detained
Reports claimed that it was lawyers for officer Danny Torres who contacted Hill in an attempt to clear the air.
Torres was this week identified as the cop placed on administrative duties following the dramatic traffic stop.
But his representatives have now contradicted Hill, insisting: ‘Neither Officer Torres, his legal representatives, attorneys or anyone speaking on his behalf has had any communications whatsoever with Mr. Hill, his counsel or his representatives,’ they told Outkick.
Hill called for the officer to be fired for what he branded ‘excessive’ force against him.
‘After a careful and thorough review of the multiple body cameras and concern citizens’ videos that captured the unfortunate events that transpired on Sunday, September 8, 2024, between several officers of the Miami Dade Police Department and Tyreek Hill, we are demanding for the immediate termination of the officer that has been placed on administrative leave,’ Hill said in a statement via attorney Julius B. Collins.
But the Dolphins star also accepted he should have handled himself differently.
When asked if he could have been more cooperative with police, the 30-year-old said: ‘I have family members who are cops. We’ve had conversations. Yes, I will say I could have been better. I could have let down my window in that instant.
Hill called for the officer to be fired for what he branded ‘excessive’ force against him
‘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 am human, I have got to follow rules and do what everyone else would do.
‘Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.’
The Dolphins wide receiver returns to the field on Thursday night, when Miami takes on the Buffalo Bills.
On Sunday, Hill was released in time to face the Jaguars. He scored an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami rally for a 20-17 win. The wideout celebrated the score by mimicking being handcuffed.
After the Dolphins wide receiver was placed in handcuffs, he told officers: ‘Take me to jail’
NFL star Hill, pictured alongside his wife Keeta Vaccaro in Las Vegas earlier this year
Meanwhile, the police citations – released earlier this week – claimed that Hill was stopped because he was believed to be driving 60mph and was not wearing a seatbelt. The two violations carried a combined fine of $308.
After the wide receiver was placed in handcuffs, he told officers: ‘Take me to jail… do what you have to do.’
Cops could then be heard telling Hill to ‘stop crying’. One said: ‘When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand? Not what you want, what we tell you. You’re a little f****** confused.’
News of Hill’s detainment sparked outrage online, with ESPN host Stephen A. Smith hitting out at the ‘unnecessary’ incident on Sunday morning. He also drew comparisons with golf star Scottie Scheffler’s infamous arrest in Kentucky earlier this year.
Hill was soon pinned to the floor and warned: ‘When we tell you to do something, you do it’
‘This is b.s. Totally unnecessary,’ Smith said. ‘And btw… I know the Scottie Scheffler incident was in Georgia — not Florida — and he was arrested, detained, booked. I also know we don’t know all the details, blah….blah…..blah!
‘But he wasn’t faced down on the ground in cuffs? Then forcibly sat down again by officers a second time. Nah! This story isn’t going away — and it doesn’t need to.’
Michael Eaves, an Emmy-award winning journalist and anchor on SportsCenter, wrote: ‘For those of you who are somewhat surprised by the body cam footage from the Tyreek Hill situation, you’ve clearly never been guilty of driving while black.’
Meanwhile, one social media user wrote: ‘Why they do him like that ??? that my question cause he black.’ Another added: ‘Racist cops tried to arrest Tyreek Hill… that’s some bulls***.’
Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick (c) protested against police brutality
After the bodycam footage emerged, Hill tweeted ‘Let’s make a change’. He also made reference to when NFL players – led by former quarterback Colin Kaepernick – took a knee in protest against police brutality.
Hill told CNN: ‘I believe in bringing people together. That’s my purpose in life… we’re in this together, we’re on this earth together, we have to live together. So when I say: Let’s make a change, let’s do it together.
‘Miami PD, really all officers across the world. Because one officer doesn’t make the whole group look bad. Every team has bad apples. It’s my job to use my platform and my resources so that way I’m able to align with these different stations.
‘We even took a knee, we did walks, so what’s next? Right now me and my wife (Keeta Vaccaro) we’re brainstorming how we can be a part of this change. It’s important to us, because we want to be able to change lives all across the world – not just Miami.’
