Tyreek Hill admits he should have been more cooperative with Miami police but they had no right ‘to beat the dog out of me’

Tyreek Hill has admitted he should have acted differently toward police before they violently pinned him to the ground during a traffic stop on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins star was asked Wednesday if he thought he could have cooperated more with police after bodycam footage of the incident emerged. He said, “I’ve (thought about it). My whole life is about accountability. How can I be better?

“I have family members who are police officers. We’ve had conversations. Yes, I will say I could have done better. I could have rolled down my window at that point.

“The thing about me is I don’t want attention. I don’t want cameras coming out, phones pointed at you at that moment. But at the end of the day I’m a human being, I have to play by the rules and do what anyone would do.

“Does that give them the right to literally beat the living daylights out of me? Absolutely not. But ultimately I wish I could go back and do things a little differently.”

Hill continued, “We have an impact on the community. I don’t think we should use this as a moment to separate or divide people or turn it into a fight.

“I still love agents. I want to be an agent. I’ve stood on a table for agents. At the end of the day, I’m focused on my job, playing football.

“I’ve prayed a lot with my wife. Had a lot of conversations with my mother. The most important thing for me is to make sure I’m okay and my family has done a great job of that.

“I went to the grocery store last night and my wife literally called me 10 times. It’s crazy.”

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, speaking just before Hill, acknowledged that his player could have acted differently toward police before his violent arrest on Sunday. But as McDaniel stressed to reporters on Tuesday, that doesn’t make his violent encounter with Miami-Dade police any less outrageous.

“It wasn’t a shock,” McDaniel told reporters Tuesday when asked to comment on police footage of the violent incident. “It was sadness.”

Hill has since been cited for reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt after he was forced to the ground and handcuffed by police while en route to the team’s game against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. Police footage showed Hill struggling to follow instructions as an officer — later identified as Danny Torres — opened the receiver’s car door and forcibly handcuffed him before forcing him to the ground.

On Tuesday, McDaniel was asked if Hill could have handled things differently during the meeting.

“There are always things you can do differently,” McDaniel said, before agreeing with the premise of the question.

“That’s a whole different conversation,” McDaniel said, before adding, “But certainly.”

Ultimately, McDaniel believes Hill did nothing to provoke Torres’ violent response.

“A conversation about what caused the unnecessary is trivial about the unnecessary,” McDaniel said.

Hill has struggled with personal issues throughout his college and NFL careers. He was accused of beating his now-ex-girlfriend Crystal Espinal in 2014, which led to his expulsion from Oklahoma State. Later, in 2019, Hill was investigated for allegedly abusing his son, who somehow suffered a broken arm.

Although he pleaded guilty to domestic violence and assault by strangulation, the 2019 investigation did not result in a conviction or even charges.

Hill now has about 10 children, depending on the outcome of the ongoing paternity cases.

Despite everything, McDaniel said he’s seen Hill mature as a person.

“Tyreek is a different person than he was when I first met him,” McDaniel told reporters. “He continues to evolve. . . . You’re held accountable for the things that people know. Sometimes when you take a step forward, you take a step back.”

Hill has since called for the resignation of Torres, who has been suspended.

Hill believes there is a higher price to pay for what he called the “excessive” force used against him.

“After a careful and thorough review of the numerous body cams and videos from concerned citizens that captured the unfortunate events of Sunday, September 8, 2024 between several Miami-Dade Police Department officers and Tyreek Hill, we are requesting the immediate termination of the officer who has been placed on administrative leave,” Hill said in a statement through attorney Julius B. Collins.

Shocking footage showed Hill handcuffed and tied to the ground after being pulled over for speeding, with one officer appearing to slam him onto the pavement.

While he was being forcibly arrested by police, several of Hill’s teammates stopped to de-escalate the situation. Unfortunately, defensive tackle Calais Campbell was also briefly handcuffed.

In the shocking footage, which emerged earlier this week, officers were heard telling Hill to “stop crying” as the NFL star said: “Take me to jail… do what you have to do.”

On Tuesday, police said Hill was pulled over for allegedly driving 60 mph — without wearing a seatbelt. He was issued a combined fine of $308.

“On at least two occasions, the escalating officer placed his hands on or around Mr. Hill’s neck during the traffic stop. After Mr. Hill was forcibly removed from his vehicle by this officer, he was then forcibly placed face down on the sidewalk,” Hill’s attorney’s statement said.

“The officer then placed his knee in the back of Mr. Hill and his hand around the back of Mr. Hill’s neck. After Mr. Hill was handcuffed and standing on the sidewalk, having been told to sit down, Mr. Hill indicated to the requesting officer that he intended to do so and at that point the same officer as before grabbed Mr. Hill from behind and forced him to the ground. As he did so, the officer again placed his hand on or around Mr. Hill’s neck.

‘Even as Mr. Hill told the officer he had undergone surgery on his knee, the officer ignored his statement and continued to use increasing force.

“Every action taken by a law enforcement officer is governed by standard operating procedures. We believe the officers’ use of force was excessive, escalating, and reckless. We demand that the officer be terminated immediately.”