Tyreek Hill admitted feeling embarrassed on his family’s behalf after a traffic stop turned into a dramatic scene on his way to the Dolphins’ opening game on Sunday.
While making his way to Hard Rock Stadium ahead of Miami’s showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the wide receiver was pulled out of his car and pinned to the ground while handcuffed.
Before their second game at home against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Hill sat down with Taylor Rooks and shed more light on the incident.
‘I really haven’t though’ Hill said about processing the arrest. ‘It’s tough, it’s hard. Going through something like that is traumatic, man. It’s embarrassing.
‘For my family, my kids, my wife, especially. Having my wife worried when she pregnant,’ Hill continued. ‘So yeah, I’m still trying to put it all together, still trying to put the pieces to the puzzle.’
Tyreek Hill admitted his embarrassment on his family’s behalf after his arrest over the weekend
Hill is married to Keeta Vaccaro (pictured at NFL Honors), who is currently pregnant
‘I just feel like this doesn’t represent the name on the back of my jersey the right way,’ Hill added. ‘The flip side of it is it’s great because I get a chance to at least try to bring awareness to [what] this entire county’s been trying to fix for the past decade.’
‘You got pros then you got cons in every situation, it’s all about what you’re doing. You learn from your situation, you hold yourself accountable. Like, how can you get better.’
The dramatic traffic stop went viral after clips circulated of officers forcing Hill out of his vehicle and another member of the force seemingly kicking Hill during his detainment.
However, bodycam footage from one of the policemen on the scene showed Hill did not have the best approach to the arrest. After admitting how he could have handled the stop better, Hill gave his point of view on how events unfolded.
‘[I} gave my ID, the next step is, I guess, roll your window all the way down. Which is, there’s not a law for that,’ Hill said. ‘But I guess, in the heat of the moment, the officer’s thinking about his safety.
‘I’m thinking about I don’t want pictures taken of me and people saying ‘Hey, is that Reek before a game, getting pulled over?”
Hill was at the center of a dramatic traffic stop on his way to Miami’s opening game on Sunday
Hill and teammate Jaylen Waddle reenacted an arrest after the receiver’s touchdown
Hill added that the officer tried to get a reaction from him by pinching his neck.
‘I tried to meet in the middle and say ‘Here’s my ID,’ and Imma leave my window barely deal. It’s crazy to think about it now. Does that give them the right to pull me out of my car? No. It doesn’t give them the right to put their hands on me, antagonize me.
‘There was a lot of that going on… whenever I was handcuffed behind my back, the officer was pinching me on my neck. Like, trying to get me to do something to him.’
Hill later admitted that he’s only seen the footage once. Meanwhile, his wife and mother have seen the clip ‘over 100 times’ and get angrier with each viewing.
‘Let’s not get mad, let’s learn,’ Hill tells his family. ‘Cause the more we get mad, I feel like that’s moving us backwards. It’s all about accountability on both sides.’
Noting that he does not want to speak directly to the officers involved, Hill said he will ‘talk to the people at the top’ and have the uncomfortable conversations needed.
While adding that athletes want to give police officers a voice, as they want safe communities for their families, Hill reassured that he will not let it get in the way of football. Despite the unpleasant experience, Cheetah does not plan on kneeling during the national anthem or letting the situation trickle into his profession.
‘Football is my sanctuary,’ Hill claimed. ‘This is where I pay my bills at. This is where I take care of my family.’
