Former NFL Player Goes On Unhinged Rant About Not Trusting Police, Parenting After The Tyreek Hill Situation

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was taken to the ground and put in handcuffs before being cited for careless driving while on his way to Hardrock Stadium in Miami on Sunday afternoon. While it's fair to say that officers at the scene were overly aggressive, Hill was not arrested and was ultimately sent on his way with nothing more than scuffed-up t-shirt and the reality check that driving laws apply to NFL wide receivers just as they do normal citizens.

The visual of a superstar athlete being put in handcuffs, whether they're black like Tyreek Hill or white like Scottie Scheffler, for example, is always a shock to the system. Most folks see these freakishly talented people as untouchable, but at the end of the day, a person is just a person in the eyes of the law.

In some instances involving police, all parties can be at fault to some degree, and the situation involving Hill appears to be one of those instances. Hill did not fully comply with officers and then the officers flexed their muscles far too much.

Some people, including former NFL wide receiver James Jones, can't grasp the reality that two parties can be in the wrong at the same time. 

Jones' reaction to Hill being cuffed and released minutes later is that cops simply can not be trusted.

"We do not feel safe around cops, and that's crazy," Jones said. "Black people do not feel safe around cops, and that is what really strikes a chord to me. Because we don't want to call them. We don't want to be in certain situations with them."

"I talk to my kids, you know what I tell ‘em. If you get into any situation, you’re with your friends or whatever, get to some light, get around some people, if there are cops around. If there are cops around, you're supposed to be safe and they're supposed to protect you, but make sure you're around some people so people can see what's going on if they want to act up."

Jones saw what he wanted to see in the various videos of Hill being put in handcuffs while lying on the ground. He saw a group of ‘big bad cops’ overstepping their boundaries and enforcing their will on a man for careless driving. 

What Jones didn't see, or at least failed to mention during his over-the-top rant, was Hill refusing to roll down his dark-tinted window after being asked by an officer or the wide receiver arguing with the officer. When the officer asked Hill to step out of the vehicle - a lawful command in the state of Florida - Hill didn't comply fast enough, which is when officers took things into their own hands.

Those are the inarguable facts of the situation based on scenes from the countless videos shared of the situation involving Hill.

Jones' perception of police and black people not trusting cops, that's his opinion that he's welcome to share. He should also consider sharing a message about people complying with officers, whether they're black, white, green, pink, or purple. Not once did he suggest citizens obey the law, instead he shared the overly dramatic message he tells his own kids about making sure they're in a well-lit area when dealing with police officers. 

Jones' message to his kids has nothing to do with acting like a model citizen or avoiding situations with the law in general - which is the more sound parenting advice - but instead, making sure other people can see you when the cop inevitably starts ‘acting up’ as he so eloquently put it.