Jemele Hill, a former ESPN personality and current contributing writer at The Atlantic, insinuated a Donald Trump connection in the wake of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s detention on Sunday.
The NFL player was detained during a traffic stop with Miami-Dade police officers before the Dolphins played the Jacksonville Jaguars. Video showed Hill handcuffed on the ground in an intense moment with officers. One officer was later placed on “administrative duties.”
The columnist fired off a theory about the detention on X.
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Jemele Hill on the red carpet at the ESPN The Party event in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 3, 2017. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
“A reminder that Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, is a huge Donald Trump supporter – the same Trump who supports giving ALL police immunity from prosecution,” Hill wrote. “Do with that what you will.”
Ross hosted a Trump fundraiser in 2019, which drew backlash toward some of the companies he invested in like Equinox and SoulCycle.
Ross also founded the RISE program, which is a “national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations,” according to its website. He left the board in 2022 and was named an emeritus board member.
In April, Trump promised to give police officers a blanket of protection following the death of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller. Trump promised to “restore law and order” and “indemnify” and “protect” law enforcement.
Trump was asked about his stance again at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in July when it came to the case of Sonya Massey, who was killed during an incident with officers in Illinois.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reacts after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sept. 8, 2024. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
He said he would help a person who “made an innocent mistake,” according to Fox 32 Chicago.
“If I felt or if a group of people would feel that somebody was being unfairly prosecuted because the person did a good job, maybe with a crime, or made a mistake, an innocent mistake.… I would want to help that person.
OFFICERS’ HANDLING OF TYREEK HILL DETENTION ‘COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE,’ AGENT DREW ROSENHAUS SAYS
“Sometimes you have less than a second to make a life and death decision and sometimes very bad decisions are made. They’re not made from an evil standpoint, but they’re made from the standpoint of ‘they made a mistake.’”
There was no indication there was any scheme involving Trump and Ross in the Tyreek Hill detention.
South Florida Police Benevolent Association defended officers involved in the incident. The police union’s president, Steadman Stahl, said Hill was detained for “officer safety after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.”
“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs,” the statement read. “Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground.”
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill speaks during a postgame news conference, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Stahl said Hill was issued two traffic citations and reminded those who happen to be involved with police officers to “obey lawful police commanders first and complain later.”
He added that “while we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called the incident “completely unacceptable” in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“What happened today to Tyreek at the stadium is completely unacceptable,” he said. “Tyreek did not deserve to be treated that way by the police involved. Tyreek’s legal team will be pursuing this matter on Tyreek’s behalf and I’m sure they will consider taking legal action.”
The wide receiver maintained he had “no idea” why police officers placed him in handcuffs.
“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”
Dolphins fans show support for wide receiver Tyreek Hill during the Jacksonville Jaguars game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Hill said he wondered what would have happened if he had not been an NFL player.
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“I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do,” he added. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done. I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that, ‘Just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen.’”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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