Two Miami Dolphins players almost missed the start of their 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars due to separate incidents with the police. Receiver Tyreek Hill was briefly detained by Miami-Dade police after being stopped for a minor traffic violation while driving to Hard Rock Stadium. Footage of Hill in handcuffs quickly spread online, though he was released shortly after.
Meanwhile, Hill’s teammate, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, tried to assist during the situation but ended up being detained as well. After the game, Campbell shared his experience with NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
“They put handcuffs on me too, and I was just like, ‘What’s going on?’” Campbell said. “After 17 years in this game, I don’t see a lot of firsts, but this was one. I was just trying to help Tyreek and deescalate the situation, but the officer didn’t take it that way.”
Campbell described how he kept his composure. “I told myself to stay focused and do what I was prepared to do.” He went on to have a standout performance in his Dolphins debut, recording three tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and a quarterback hit. Hill, on the other hand, finished the game with seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, celebrating by pretending to be handcuffed.
Reflecting on the incident, Campbell said, “It shows our resilience. We didn’t let it get to us, got back on track, and played a great game. But it was definitely an unusual way to start.”