(CNN) — The Indianapolis Colts publicly apologized to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill for poking fun at his detainment before the first game of the 2024 season in a since-deleted video unveiling the team’s schedule for this season.
The Colts posted the video Wednesday as part of the NFL’s schedule release. It’s become popular for teams to make creative videos unveiling schedules in recent years and the Colts’ video played off the video game Minecraft. A film based on the game, “A Minecraft Movie,” was released earlier this year and has been a smash hit at the box office. The movie was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which, like CNN, is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
In the opening scene of the video posted by the Colts, a dolphin wearing a No. 10 jersey and labeled “Hill” is approached by a Coast Guard boat that has a siren blaring and a police officer on board.
“We removed our schedule release video because it exceeded our rights with Microsoft and included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. We sincerely apologize to Microsoft and Tyreek,” the Colts said in a statement to CNN Sports.
The incident involving Hill happened just before the Dolphins’ first game of the season last year when the wide receiver was driving to the stadium and was stopped by police.
Video of the traffic stop showed officers pulling Hill out of his car, handcuffing him and placing him face down in the road after he did not immediately comply with their commands. Hill told CNN afterward that he wasn’t moving quickly because he was still recovering from a minor knee surgery that took place before the 2024 season.
“I was shocked. It was crazy because it all happened so fast. Like for me, it just all happened so fast and I really couldn’t like gather everything that was happening,” Hill told Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” at the time.
“I wasn’t moving fast because you know I got injuries, I got things that I go through. I play a physical sport, I’ve been doing this for a moment now man so I’m dealing with some stuff, so I guess the officers they felt like I wasn’t doing it on their timing,” he added.
The South Florida Police Benevolent Association defended the actions of the officers involved, highlighting that Hill was never placed under arrest. The association said Hill was not cooperative and that officers were working in the interest of their own safety.
Other Miami Dolphins players, who had pulled over to offer assistance to Hill, were also treated aggressively. Calais Campbell, a former Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner, told reporters he was placed in handcuffs by police after he approached the scene and tried to talk with officers about what as taking place. Bystanders and police body-worn cameras captured the September 8 incident.
Hill was issued two citations stemming from the stop outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. He had previously pleaded not guilty to careless driving and not wearing a seatbelt.
A judge dismissed the citations in November after the officer involved in the stop didn’t show up in court.
The Colts and Dolphins will play in Week 1 of the NFL season in Indianapolis.
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