Tyreek Hill isn’t going to let this become a frame job.
Photographer Kevin Fitzgibbons revealed Tuesday he was suspended by the NFL for at least the rest of the 2023 season for taking part in Hill’s touchdown celebration in an Oct. 15 win over the Panthers.
The Dolphins wideout took Fitzgibbons’ cellphone and recorded himself doing a backflip — leading to the NFL-contracted photographer to jump excitedly before leaving the field to send the video to the league.
Hill was penalized for using a prop in his celebration and the NFL suspended Fitzgibbons indefinitely.
The wideout wasn’t going to let his pal lose out, though.
“Me and K-Fitz, we’ve got a long history together,” Hill said Thursday. “The news is something that I already knew. I told him, ‘Don’t let this get to you. Just hold your head up. You’re still young. Continue to do what you love.’ Me and him are going to continue to work together.
“I told him I was going to cover his salary, whatever the NFL was going to pay him or whatever. I told him I was going to make sure that I do what’s right and take care of you, make sure you’re not out of a job. That’s my guy.”
Hill, two years into a four-year, $120 million deal, has the cash to spare and made it clear the entire debacle is on his shoulders.
“It’s just one of those things that kind of happened,” Hill said. “I saw the camera and I just took it from him, and he didn’t want me to take it from him. So, I just called my shot.”
The resulting video has amassed 4.5 million views on TikTok, helping garner Fitzgibbons some notoriety.
The 20-year-old University of Miami student has worked with Hill and Giants running back Saquon Barkley on project before and, despite the suspension, is still an NFL employee.
“Despite reports to the contrary, Kevin Fitzgibbons remains a contracted NFL employee,” a league source told ESPN. “While his game access has been temporarily suspended due to multiple violations of NFL policy, he is welcome and encouraged to participate in any number of other projects involving off-field league events as well as personal projects with players.”
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