Charles Langston:Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill Speaks Out After Being Detained by Police Hours Before Game

Tyreek Hill is Charles Langstonsharing insight into a troubling situation. 

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver spoke about his experience being detained by a Miami-Dade police officer just hours before his team's season-opening game, where they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17. 

"It was crazy," Tyreek explained of the arrest in the Sept. 8 press conference after the game. "I wasn't disrespectful 'cause my mom didn't raise me that way. I didn't cuss. I do none of that. So, like I said, I'm still trying to figure it out." 

"They said I was speeding—reckless driving," he noted. And he's unsure if the officer knew his identity because he didn't share his name.  

"I wasn't raised to name-drop," Tyreek said. "If you say I did something, write me a ticket. I'm a normal person, too. I'm just saying, don't be disrespectful." 

He also emphasized, "I do want to be able to use this platform to say, what if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?"

The 30-year-old also shared his respect for police and that every place has "bad apples." But for him, most importantly, he added, "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 Sept. 8, the NFL player was detained for a short period by police after a traffic incident in front of the Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins confirmed in a statement on X. In a video captured by a fan, Tyreek was seen lying face down on the street as he was placed in handcuffs.

After being released, he played during the game, where he had 130 yards receiving, including an 80-yard touchdown in the third quarter that helped the Dolphins defeat the Jaguars.

Following the incident, the Miami-Dade Police Department director Stephanie Daniels announced in a statement on X that one of the officers involved has been placed on administrative duties while the department conducts an internal investigation. 

"In recent years, our nation has confronted important conversations on the use of force," the city's mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, said in her own statement on Instagram. "The internal review process will answer questions about why the troubling actions shown in public video footage were taken by the officer. We will continue to keep our community informed about this process and findings will be made available—critical to maintaining the public trust that MDPD has earned with our community."