Mike McDaniel speaks on Tyreek Hill detainment: ‘The thing that f***s me up … is I don’t know exactly what that feels like’

Hours before the Miami Dolphins’ comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, superstar wideout Tyreek Hill and defensive tackle Calais Campbell were detained by police in what is looking more and more like an abuse of power than anything else. Hill and Campbell were released and still played in the victory, but both players spoke adamantly about the situation after the game.

Hill was also asked about the detainment, offering a sobering reminder of what it means to be Black in America.

Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill said he has no idea why he was placed in handcuffs and said he wasn’t ready to describe this morning’s events — but wants to take advantage of his platform:

“What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?” pic.twitter.com/aCQWec7q8Q

— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) September 8, 2024

On Monday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel spoke about the situation, and many of his quotes were incredibly thought-provoking, evoking the helplessness he felt when all of this went down (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe):

“It’s been hard to not find myself more upset the more I think about it. The thing that fucks me up being quite frank is I don’t know exactly what that feels like. Super proud of our guys understanding the civic responsibility of a platform.”

It’s a reminder that while McDaniel may be seen as Black by the NFL (the San Francisco 49ers got two third-round picks when he was hired as a part of their diversity initiative), the world doesn’t see him that way. McDaniel said he’s never been in the situation Hill and Campbell were in because while he is biracial, he is a white-passing man. “My appearance lends me to the journey of many not alienated,” McDaniel said on Monday. “It’s important to listen… it’s important to realize when your words don’t mean shit.”

For McDaniel to speak so powerfully on the situation Hill and Campbell found themselves in is a great show of support by the coach, but it offers a lot of NFL fans an opportunity to look at themselves in the mirror. McDaniel didn’t make this detainment about him and how it affected him going into the game, but wanted to support by listening and not always talking.

You can find McDaniel’s full response here:

#Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel got very emotional and choked up talking about Tyreek Hill getting detained on Sunday.

“The thing that f***** me up honestly, to be quite frank, is knowing that I don’t know exactly. I don’t know what that feels like.”

Full answer via @MiamiDolphins: pic.twitter.com/Pwrlr3XZ5t

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 9, 2024