‘Where all the internet cops now?’: Traffic citations against NFL star Tyreek Hill dropped
Traffic citations issued to Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill after a September altercation with police have been dismissed after the charging officers didn’t attend a court hearing.
Hill’s tickets for careless driving and failing to wear a seat belt were dismissed after the Miami-Dade Police officers failed to show up for a Monday hearing. The tickets were issued after Hill was stopped outside Hard Rock Stadium for allegedly speeding before the Dolphins’ season opener on 8 September. The stop escalated and an officer pulled Hill from the car, forced him to the ground and handcuffed him.
Hill said in a Tuesday post on the social platform X, “Where all the internet cops now”.
The Miami-Dade Police said the officers’ failure to appear was “an oversight” and “the matter will be handled administratively.” The department defended issuing Hill the tickets. “A citation dismissed due to this reason does not indicate that the citation held no merit,” the agency said in a statement.
Body camera video from the incident shows an officer pull Hill out of his car by his arm and head and then force him face-first on to the ground. Officers handcuffed Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back. Hill’s teammate Calais Campbell – who drove by the scene and stopped in an effort to play peacemaker – was also handcuffed by police during the incident.
After about 30 minutes, Hill was issued citations and allowed to enter the stadium. One officer was placed on administrative duty and an internal affairs investigation was launched. No results have been released.
Hill has said the officer in question should be fired.
“Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. He’s gotta go, man,” Hill said. “In that instant right there, not only did he treat me bad, but he also treated my teammates with disrespect. He had some crazy words towards them and they didn’t even do nothing. Like, what did they do to you? They’re just walking on the sidewalk. He’s got to go, man.”
Hill did, however, admit he could have handled the incident differently.
“I will say I could have been better,” Hill said. “I could have let down my window in that instant. But 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’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I’ve got to do what everyone else would do.”
Hill is one of the best receivers in the NFL, and has been named to the Pro Bowl in every season since he entered the league in 2016. He led the league in receiving last season with a career high 1,799 yards. He won the Super Bowl with his previous team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in February 2020. He was traded to the Dolphins in March 2022 and signed a four-year, $120m contract extension that makes him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.