Tyreek Hill Detained Controversy

Overview

Tyreek Hill Detained or Tyreek Hill Arrested refers to the highly publicized event in which professional football player and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained and placed face down on a street outside the team’s stadium by the police in Florida before the team’s Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Videos showing Hill being arrested were widely shared on social media in early September 2024 and the NFL player said he was pulled over for speeding but did not provide more information. Tyreek Hill also performed a "placed in handcuffs" move during his touchdown celebration following the pregame detainment. The event notably spawned numerous memes referencing Hill and the incident online shortly after it occurred.

Background

On September 8th, 2024, X^[1] user @AdamSchefter shared a video showing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill being detained and placed face down on a street outside the team’s stadium by Miami-Dade police during a traffic incident (seen below). The post amassed over 20 million views and 65,000 likes in a day.

According to the Associated Press,^[2] who reported on the story the following day, an unidentified police officer was placed on administrative leave (one of at least three reportedly involved in detaining Hill). AP notably reported that Hill "was stopped for speeding and reckless driving," with defensive tackle and teammate Calais Campbell also briefly being handcuffed after coming to Hill's aid during the altercation.^[8]

The video posted by AP News on September 9th, 2024, shows part of Hill's press conference discussing the incident, during which he said he wasn't disrespectful or yelled at the officers to be detained on the street. The video (seen below) amassed more than 1,300 views and 30 likes in a few hours.

Developments

Tyreek Hill's Handcuff Touchdown Celebration

Tyreek Hill scored an 80-yard touchdown during the Miami Dolphins game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, during which he celebrated his touchdown by placing his hands behind his back and allowing teammate Waddle to "detain" him before returning to the Dolphins' sideline, seemingly referencing the incident earlier that day.

On September 8th, 2024, the X^[3] page @NFL Memes posted a video of the moment (seen below), amassing roughly 367,000 views and 5,500 likes in a day.

The photo of Hill's celebration was also reposted to the /r/pics^[7] subreddit on September 8th, accumulating over 46,000 upvotes and 1,300 comments in 21 hours.

Police Union In Miami-Dade Statement

On September 9th, 2024, the police union in Miami-Dade released a statement about the detainment of Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, alleging the player was “uncooperative” with cops and “initiated this unfortunate incident.” X^[9] user @AndySlater posted the police's full statement (seen below), amassing more than 275 likes and 205 reposts in a few hours.

Online Reactions

Several fans and netizens shared videos and pictures of Tyreek Hill being handcuffed by the police, which sparked viral discussion and memes online as the story spread.

For example, on September 8th, 2024, TikTok^[4] user @berges.prod posted a fan edit video combining footage of the player's detainment and his touchdown on the same day. The post (seen below) amassed more than 162,000 plays and 29,000 likes in a day.

Also on September 8th, the X / Twitter account @NFL_Memes posted a Homelander meme about the cops watching Hill score a touchdown following his arrest, receiving over 1 million views and 33,000 likes in one day (seen below).

The incident involving Tyreek Hill and the police also spawned numerous discussion threads on Reddit in early September 2024, including a thread on /r/NFL^[5] that garnered over 9,000 upvotes in a day and another to /r/sports^[6] that garnered over 15,000 upvotes in the same timeframe.

Search Interest

External References