Current:Home > InvestOpinion: Tyreek Hill is an imperfect vessel who is perfect for this moment-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Opinion: Tyreek Hill is an imperfect vessel who is perfect for this moment
View Date:2024-12-23 18:22:59
Pay close to attention to one particular part of the statement from one of Tyreek Hill's lawyers released on Monday. It says a great deal. It says everything.
"It is already clear that well before this incident, Miami-Dade County should have fired Officer (Danny) Torres," part of the statement read. "Instead, the County repeatedly returned Officer Torres to the street permitting him to use his police authority to terrorize people."
"Had officers not realized that they were interacting with Tyreek Hill – a well-known, beloved, educated, and seemingly wealthy black man – this traffic stop would likely have ended with the driver in jail, in the hospital, or like George Floyd, dead," the statement added.
Or like George Floyd, dead.
Hill invoking Floyd is no small thing. This isn't just attorneys readying for a lawsuit. This is something much deeper. First, it's another stark acknowledgement by Hill that getting stopped by police could have gone horribly wrong if he wasn't a star.
Most of all, with this statement, and the hiring of some impressive legal firepower, Hill is signaling he's preparing for a larger fight. Hill wants to become one of the leading edges in the battle to reform police culture.
We haven't seen an NFL player take a public stance this aggressive since Colin Kaepernick.
Hill was detained earlier this month during a traffic stop and since then he's addressed police abuse. But this move is an entirely different level of speaking out. It enters into the realm of hardcore activism. Particularly since his legal team now includes a former federal prosecutor as well as a civil rights attorney who worked on Floyd’s case.
But we also have to acknowledge that this is a complex discussion, because Hill isn't like Kaepernick in one significant way. There were no controversies about Kaepernick's past. Sure, people tried to make up things about Kaepernick, but he was, and is, an extremely decent man. He was, and is, perfect for the fight.
Hill's past is more problematic and this is where things get nuanced and problematic. He's been accused of incidents of domestic violence, including a truly ugly case when Hill was in college.
None of this is good. None of it should be buried or ignored, either.
And nothing Hill did in the past excuses the behavior of the officers. But that past is always brought up by the extreme right and people who believe police should be able to do whatever the hell they want. They latch onto it to try and weaken his police reform message. This is a constant theme on social media.
It's important to deal with this substantial elephant in the room. Put it all up front and on the table. While Hill's past actions are bad, really bad, they don't detract from Hill's mission, which is historic and noble.
Make no mistake about it: Hill can make impactful change. This isn't hyperbole. He's one of the most powerful people in one of the most powerful businesses in America. He can utilize financial and political power in ways most people cannot. Other players inside and outside of the NFL will listen to him. Some politicians will.
One of the biggest things Hill can do is provide a permission structure to other athletes to join the fight. That's what Kaepernick did.
Hill seems to understand all of this. That's what the statement he released means more than anything. It's not just that he's ready to join the fight. He seems to understand what exactly joining the fight means.
"Miami Dolphins’ superstar Tyreek Hill said that he will speak for all people in a broad fight against national police misconduct," another part of the statement read.
"Hill is adamant that his legal team will ensure that the voices of people who have long been ignored or silenced on the issue of police reform will finally be heard."
Yes, Hill is far from perfect. But he's perfect for this moment.
veryGood! (2174)
Related
- Man killed in Tuskegee University shooting in Alabama is identified. 16 others were hurt
- Damaging fraud ruling could spell the end of Donald Trump's New York business empire
- SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: From bananas to baby socks, lawyers stick to routines before arguments
- Jesus Ayala, teen accused in Las Vegas cyclist hit-and-run, boasts he'll be 'out in 30 days'
- Colts' Kenny Moore II ridicules team's effort in loss to Bills
- Jesus Ayala, teen accused in Las Vegas cyclist hit-and-run, boasts he'll be 'out in 30 days'
- Chinese ambassador says Australian lawmakers who visit Taiwan are being utilized by separatists
- Shooting incident in Slovak capital leaves 1 dead, 4 injured
- Get well, Pop. The Spurs are in great hands until your return
- Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty in federal court to bribery and extortion
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Inflation is still a thing
- Dozens of people arrested in Philadelphia after stores are ransacked across the city
- Indiana state comptroller Tera Klutz will resign in November after nearly 7 years in state post
- Who's the greatest third baseman in baseball history?
- California researchers discover mysterious, gelatinous new sea slug
- Blue Beetle tells story of Latino superhero and his family in first-of-its-kind live action film
- Colin Kaepernick asks New York Jets if he can join practice squad
- 6 Palestinian citizens of Israel are killed in crime-related shootings in the country’s north
Recommendation
-
NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
-
New York AG plans to call Trump and his adult sons as witnesses in upcoming trial
-
Rights watchdog accuses the World Bank of complicity in rights abuses around Tanzanian national park
-
Why this week’s mass exodus from embattled Nagorno-Karabakh reflects decades of animosity
-
Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
-
Production at German Volkswagen plants resumes after disruption caused by an IT problem
-
Judge tosses Nebraska state lawmaker’s defamation suit against PAC that labeled her a sexual abuser
-
3 people die in a crash involving 4 vehicles in New Hampshire