The release of body cam footage from Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill’s detainment outside Hard Rock Stadium this past Sunday before the Dolphins season opener stirred up strong reactions from students across South Florida. After viewing it, several voiced their concerns over police actions along with potential racial undertones.
The footage shows Hill, who is Black, being pulled over for speeding and refusing to fully cooperate with officers after they knocked on his car window. Hill’s resistance led officers, who did not appear to be Black, to forcibly remove him from the car and lay him on the ground. One officer pressed his knee into Hill’s back as he was handcuffed.
The video has sparked concern, frustration, and debate across the nation. The officer most involved has been reassigned and Hill called for his firing on Wednesday,
Claudia Aure, an Florida International University senior studying digital communications, thought the aggression displayed by the officer, Danny Torres, a 27-year veteran of the department, unnecessary. She stated, “Everybody has passed the speed limit, but this is not the way of getting someone.” She also believes that the situation would likely not have been highlighted or become a national story if Hill had not been a well-known sports star saying, “This case is recognized because he is a football player, but I think these things shouldn’t happen.”
Carlo Carusi, also an FIU senior, found the incident indicative of a systemic issue within policing, stating, “It’s not a plan, but it’s something that’s happened and is still happening.” He further suggested that Hill’s race and status might have influenced the officer’s behavior, an assertion echoed by many others across social media following the video’s release. Carusi’s concern reflects a wider conversation about the relationship between race and law enforcement that has been boiling over for a decade.
Another FIU senior, Rowan Lewis Payne, said, “I’m not surprised. It happens all the time.” Payne pointed out the frequent occurrences of such incidents involving police and people of color reinforce the perception that Hill’s detainment is part of a larger pattern of racial profiling.
Luis Pascal, a Digital Communications senior, criticized the excessive number of officers involved in Hill’s detainment. “There’s no need for three police officers to make an arrest,” he said. Pascal further emphasized that race likely played a role, especially considering how forcefully Hill was treated during his arrest. “The way he pulled him out of the car and was kneeing him in the back was extremely too much.”
