Dolphins’ Hill, Campbell react to being handcuffed: ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?’

Tyreek Hill’s day began being surrounded by Miami-Dade police officers and placed in handcuffs after what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop. Teammate Calais Campbell also found himself in handcuffs after trying to “de-escalate the situation.”

For both, the day got considerably better from there.

Hill caught seven passes for 130 yards (including an 80-yard touchdown) and Campbell had a sack on a day that the Dolphins rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Jacksonville, 20-17, in their season opener at Hard Rock Stadium.

Afterward, Hill and Campbell discussed their surreal experience before the game, which began when officers pulled over Hill outside the stadium.

Video and photos posted to social media showed a Miami-Dade police officer with a knee on Hill’s back as he was detained adjacent to his luxury sports car, then sitting on the ground in handcuffs.

Hill - who was cited for reckless driving but not arrested - said after the game that he was still trying to process what happened but said he did nothing to trigger that behavior from officers.

He said he had “no idea” why he was placed in handcuffs. “No idea. It’s crazy. No idea. I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Did none of that. I’m still trying to figure it out… Don’t be disrespectful.”

He was asked what could have happened to him if he was not Tyreek Hill.

“All across the world, you see it,” Hill responded. “I don’t want to bring race into it. But sometimes it’s kind of iffy when you do. What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what those guys would have did. I was making sure I did what my uncle told me to do if you’re ever in situations like that. Put your hands on the steering wheel, just listen.”

Hill added: “I want to be a cop one day. I got a lot of respect for cops. Obviously, everybody has bad apples in every situation. I want to be able to use this platform to figure out a way to flip this and make it a positive on both ends, on my end and Miami Dade and do something positive for the community. You guys are here to protect us as individuals. I have a platform and want to be able to team up with you guys.”

On his way to the game, before being pulled over outside the stadium, Hill said: “I was thinking about going for 150 [yards] today. It happened so fast, it caught me off guard. I’m thinking, ‘they’re really doing this.’ They said I was speeding, reckless driving.”

A few hours after the incident, Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie Daniels said there would be an investigation about how the incident escalated between officers and the NFL’s 2023 leader in receiving yards.

“We are aware of the recent detainment of Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill by Miami-Dade police officers. I have requested an immediate review of all details surrounding the incident,” Daniels said before the game. “We are also reviewing available body camera footage. We will provide updates as further information becomes available.”

After the game, Daniels said that one of the officers involved has “been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is conducted.”

The fact an officer was placed on administrative duties “should tell you everything you need to know,” Hill said. “I’m glad my teammates were there to support me in that situation. I felt alone. When they showed up, it made me realize we have an [expletive] good team for them to put their life on the line. It was amazing to see.”

After the incident, in the 90 minutes or so before kickoff, “I was able to pray with my family, talk to my wife, calm down a little bit,” Hill said. “I was straight. I knew at the end of the day I had a job to do…. Got a family to feed. I’ve got to be a leader of this team, find ways to bounce through adversity.”

Hill said the incident left him “pissed off” for the game. “I was [expletive] teed up. I was fired up.”

As for Campbell, he said that after he saw Hill being handcuffed, he got out of his car and was trying to “de-escalate the situation” after police used what he considered “excessive force” against Hill. Campbell said it felt it “was a bit extreme” to see Hill in handcuffs.

Campbell said he was placed in handcuffs for “disobeying a direct order. They said I was too close to the scene, and me not moving my car in time. He said I could stand 25 feet away. I was definitely more than 25 feet away.”

Campbell -- who won the NFL’s 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year award -- said he received a citation but was not arrested.

Campbell said that one of the officers being re-assigned to administrative work “makes sense based on the situation. That’s very much how it should go.

After Hill’s 80-yard touchdown, he celebrated as if he was handcuffed, putting his hands behind his back. Jaylen Waddle then came up behind him and held Hill’s wrists behind his back as they walked off the field.

“It was a planned celebration,” Hill said. “We had something else planned and this happened this morning.”