Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill on Wednesday called for one of the officers involved in his traffic stop and subsequent detainment to be relieved of his duties. Per NBC News, Hill, 30, called for Officer Danny Torres’ termination during a team-sanctioned press conference.
The wide receiver made those comments when he was asked to share his views about his lawyer asking for the officer to be terminated. “Gone, gone, gone, gone. He got to go, man,” Hill said.
“In that instant, right there, like, not only did he treat me bad, you know, I’m saying he also treated my teammates with, you know, disrespect. You know, he had some crazy words towards them, and they ain’t even do nothing. Like, what did they do to you?”
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“He gotta go, man. … And not too many times Cheetah [Hill’s nickname] says people go to go,” he added.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Hill made the news on Sunday after videos showed him being detained by Miami-Dade police officers hours before their season-opening game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The traffic stop stemmed from allegations of the 30-year-old driving carelessly and not wearing a seatbelt.
The star wide receiver wasn’t the only person to have a brush with the law as his fellow teammate Calais Campbell was similarly detained by officers and placed in handcuffs when he tried to help Hill during the traffic stop. Hill was ultimately released, but he was cited for the aforementioned allegations.
In the wake of the incident, Miami-Dade police announced Torres, a 27-year veteran, had been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an investigation. The department also released bodycam footage of the encounter.
But Torres’ lawyer, Ignacio Alvarez, in a statement on Tuesday, said that it was “premature” to place the officer on administrative duty, NBC News reported. Alvarez, however, said he also favored the calls for a comprehensive investigation.
“We call for our client’s immediate reinstatement, and a complete, thorough, and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also advocated. Our client will not comment until this investigation is concluded and the facts are fully revealed,” Alvarez said.
Despite calling for the officer’s termination, Hill admitted he could have reacted better during the traffic stop. “I will say I could have been better, you know, I could have let down my window, you know, in that instant,” he said in reference to one of the officers telling him to keep his car window down during the traffic stop.
“But the thing about me is, man, … I don’t want attention. … I don’t want to be, like, cameras out, phones on … in that moment. But at the end of the day, you know, I’m human. … I gotta follow rules.”
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