MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins forward Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and laid face down in the street outside the team’s stadium after being pulled over for speeding and reckless driving Sunday morning. the Dolphins’ first game of the seasonan incident that stunned the star player and led to a police officer being suspended.

The officer, who was not identified, was one of at least three involved in Hill’s arrest. Some fans saw Hill being handcuffed and took video footage on the way to the game, and it wasn’t long before went viral on social media.

Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie V. Daniels said she had launched an internal investigation.

When told after the game that the officer had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, Hill said, “That should tell you all you need to know.”

Defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also briefly handcuffed after coming to the aid of his team-mate, added: “It’s logical given the situation.”

Hill, who said he respects police officers and wants to become one himself when he retires from football, said he had “no idea” why police handcuffed him.

“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “I didn’t swear. I didn’t do any of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

Hill shined on the field for the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 130 yards, including a touchdown of 80 yards who helped Miami secure a 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill celebrated the score by pretending to be in handcuffs.

Hill, who is black, said he didn’t want to use his fame to get out of the situation, but he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t been an NFL star.

“I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets a little questionable when you do,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? God knows what that guy or guys would have done. I just wanted to make sure I did what my uncle always told me when you’re in a situation like that: ‘Just listen, put your hands on the wheel and just listen.'”

Daniels said in a statement earlier Sunday that she had requested an “immediate review” of the details surrounding the incident, adding that the department would review available body camera footage.

In a later statement, Daniels said, “I am committed to transparency and accountability to the community in every situation involving my officers.”

Hill said everything happened so quickly that he was overwhelmed.

“I’m just glad my teammates were there to support me in that situation because I felt alone,” Hill added.

Campbell said he was driving into Hard Rock Stadium when he saw Hill in handcuffs and stopped to help. The 17-year NFL veteran also ended up in handcuffs, and said officers told him it was because he ignored their direct orders.

“I felt like there was an excessive amount of force used, so I got out of the car to de-escalate the situation,” said Campbell, who also called the incident “a little extreme.”

Hill, who had the most receiving yards in the NFL in 2023, said he spoke with his wife and family after he was arrested and before the game started.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called it a “heartbreaking situation” on ESPN.

“How things escalated to the situation where they were, handcuffed and held down on the ground by police, is mind-boggling to me,” Rosenhaus said. “I’m very concerned about that. Very concerned. We’re going to investigate. We’re going to investigate this. We’re going to keep an eye on Tyreek, but I’m not going to make any accusations at this point. The important thing is Tyreek is physically fine, mentally he was very upset about what happened.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has been in contact with the Dolphins but declined to comment further.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl