Miami Dolphins veteran edge rusher Calais Campbell, a winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, says he was also handcuffed by Miami-Dade police when he tried to defuse the detainment of receiver Tyreek Hill before Sunday’s season opener.
‘I was driving to the game. The lane I’m in is blocked. I see Tyreek in handcuffs. I’d seen, I feel like excessive force, so I get out of the car to kind of just try to deescalate the situation and I think the officer just – I don’t know why he felt the need to put me in handcuffs, but I mean it is what it is,’ Campbell said during an interview after the Dolphins’ 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium.
‘The good thing is we were both able to play the ballgame and go out here and find a way to win the ballgame.’
Campbell, a 17-year NFL veteran, said he was told by officers he was ‘disobeying a direct order,’ leading to his placement in handcuffs.
‘He said I was too close to the scene, and then I think he said something about me not moving my car in time. I don’t know,’ Campbell said. ‘He told me later I could stand 25 feet away, that’s fine. I was definitely further than 25 feet away when that happened.’
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The Miami-Dade Police Department launched an internal investigation, which led to an officer being placed on administrative leave shortly after the Dolphins game went final.
When informed of the police discipline, Campbell said: ‘Makes sense based on the situation. I think it was very much the way it should go.’
Campbell, who played at the University of Miami, is in his first season with the Dolphins. He’s played nine seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, three seasons each with the Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens, and spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons.
Campbell won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2019. The award is considered one of the most prestigious among NFL players, recognizing a player’s commitment to philanthropy and community service.
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