Tyreek Hill hires lawyer to represent George Floyd's family after pre-game detention incident

The Miami Dolphins star wide receiver has hired the prominent civil rights attorney who represented the family of George Floyd after he was arrested en route to the team's season-opening game earlier this month.

Tyreek Hill has retained the services of national civil rights attorney Devon Jacob, who previously represented the family of George Floyd after he was killed by Minneapolis police in 2020, Local 10 reported.

Jacob, who previously worked as a 911 dispatcher, firefighter, police officer and former assistant attorney general of Pennsylvania, said Hills' situation sheds light on a current problem in law enforcement.

“I'm a former police officer. I defended law enforcement for 10 years,” Jacob told Local 10. “It's really pretty scary when the person who is most out of control is law enforcement.”

The law enforcement officer turned attorney believes the Sept. 8 arrest would have taken a different turn if Hill had not been a well-known NFL player.

“This is where the Dolphins were able to step in and get Tyreek released,” Jacob told the outlet. “But that doesn't happen to the average person.”

According to USA Today Sports, the Pennsylvania-based attorney will work with Hills' current attorney, Julius B. Collins, as well as Jeffrey A. Neiman and Stephen B. Kelly Jr., as the NFL Pro Bowler advocates for change in police departments across the country.

“Tyreek intends to continue the national movement for necessary police reforms that was sparked by the death of George Floyd,” Jacob told the outlet on Monday.

“Tyreek demands that Congress finally pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”

Collins added that his client wanted to “speak for all people in the comprehensive fight against police misconduct across the country.”

“Hill is confident that his legal team will ensure that the voices of people who have long been ignored or silenced on the issue of police reform are finally heard,” Collins said.

Hill received two citations for careless driving and for not wearing a seatbelt during his traffic stop en route to Hard Rock Stadium.

The Super Bowl-winning wide receiver was reportedly traveling at 60 miles per hour when he was stopped.

Bodycam footage shows an officer knocking on the driver's window of Hill's black McLaren 720s coupe and ordering him to roll down the window before dragging him out of the sports car and handcuffing him.

One of the responding officers, identified as Danny Torres, was placed on leave and Miami-Dade Police launched an internal investigation into the matter.

Torres, whom Hill accused of using “excessive” force, has reportedly been suspended six times during his 27-year career.

“In what profession can you be suspended six times without getting fired?” Jacob asked Local 10.

Miami-Dade Police Union President Stedman Stahl responded to the lawyer's question by saying, “The NFL is one of those teams where you can get suspended for things like that.”

“I think it could have been handled differently by both sides. We will learn from this and learn from it. Did he have to be led out of the car in handcuffs? That was at the discretion of the officers,” Stahl said.

The duration of Torres' six suspensions varied between five and 20 days.

Hill admitted he “could have done better” during the exchange, but called for Torres to be fired.

“After a careful and thorough review of the numerous body cameras and videos from concerned citizens that captured the unfortunate events of Sunday, September 8, 2024, between multiple Miami Dade Police Department officers and Tyreek Hill, we are calling for the immediate termination of the officer, who has been placed on leave,” Hill said through his attorney, Julius B. Collins.