Hill waves ‘bye’ to Pats fans, among NFL’s ‘worst’

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tyreek Hill added another chapter to his complicated relationship with New England Patriots fans Sunday night, calling them “some of the worst fans in the NFL.”

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver was asked, after his team’s 24-17 win, how it felt to wave goodbye to the home crowd, and he did not hold back.

“It felt tremendous, man,” Hill said. “Those fans are some of the worst fans in the NFL. And I’m going to stand on that; they are real nasty. Some of the things they were saying, I wouldn’t say in church. So yeah, it felt great to wave goodbye to the fans, and I’ll do it again. Bye.”

It wasn’t Hill’s first brush with Patriots fans. A man at Gillette Stadium was charged with disorderly conduct in 2018 after throwing beer on Hill following his 70-yard touchdown reception while he was still a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. The man was also banned from future events at the stadium.

After recording 215 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches in Week 1, Hill finished Sunday’s game with 40 yards and a touchdown on five receptions as the Patriots sought to take away the threat of a deep pass. According to NextGen Stats, New England had five or more defensive backs on the field for 32 of its 61 snaps — 17 of which featured six defensive backs on the field.

Hill said he wasn’t fazed by the Patriots’ coverages, but he was complimentary of Christian Gonzalez, saying the rookie cornerback would be “a real good player in this league.”

The Dolphins jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, but a missed field goal late in the fourth quarter gave New England the ball with an opportunity to tie the game. Miami forced a turnover on downs to seal the win.

Hill, a three-time All-Pro, said he was proud of the Dolphins’ victory, which pushed Miami to an AFC East-leading 2-0 record.

“It feels good, man. It always feels good to beat probably one of the greatest coaches of all time,” he said, referencing New England’s Bill Belichick. “To come in here in a tough environment, to win a game like this on a Sunday night, it feels good — especially the way this team played, the way this team battled through adversity.

“It just shows that if you put in the work mentally, physically, and come into this game prepared, you’ll be ready for situations like that.”