Mike McDaniel came into the NFL season on the hot seat, which hasn’t changed. Tua Tagovailoa, though, has turned the heat up on himself.
Following the Miami Dolphins‘ 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Tagovailoa pointed out in his postgame press conference that some of his teammates were showing up late to players-only meetings. After a handful of former players ripped Tagovailoa, the Dolphins quarterback apologized for the remark on Wednesday.
“I’ve made a mistake and I’m owning up to that right now,” Tagovailoa told reporters on Wednesday. “I’ve talked to guys on the team about it, talked to the leaders about it, and they know my heart. They know that the intent was right. But no matter the intent … when things get misconstrued or however the media wants to portray it, that leaves a void of silence and a lot of questions for the guys on our team now being 1-5.
“We talk a lot about, ‘All right, we got to get this going, come in excited to go to work, forget about the noise.’ And I feel like I just added onto that for our guys.”
Tagovailoa added that he felt like he let the “emotions of the game get to me” and that the situation is something he “can learn from as a leader.” But the apology won’t turn down the heat of what’s going on in South Florida.
So, we checked in around the NFL to see what sources around the league are saying about Tagovailoa and the 1-5 Dolphins.
Ralph Vacchiano: Tua Tagovailoa surely thought he was showing leadership when he called out his teammates for being late to players-only meetings.
He might have been showing the exact opposite instead.
A former NFL quarterback told me he was “shocked” when he read that the Miami Dolphins quarterback aired his grievances with teammates to the press. He questioned why any leader in any sport would even consider airing his frustrations with teammates in public.
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And he also questioned whether the 27-year-old could actually continue as the leader of his team.
“Think about it: When do you ever hear a quarterback criticizing his teammates for anything?” the former quarterback said. “We don’t do that. We suck it up, take the blame for all the mistakes, and never throw anyone under the bus. We may rip into them privately. That’s fine. But the key is it stays private.
“The only thing that might save him is he didn’t mention anyone by name. But in a sense, he kind of implicated everybody. The media is going to ask all of them ‘Were you late? Well, who was?’ He created a witch hunt — an unnecessary distraction. And his teammates are going to be pissed about that.”
Some of Tagovailoa’s teammates have already expressed their displeasure. So has Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
“That’s beyond a rookie mistake,” the former QB told me. “That team is bad enough. They didn’t need this. And Tua isn’t exactly lighting it up either. You think he’s frustrated? I bet plenty of his teammates are pretty frustrated with him.”
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Eric D. Williams: Like many others around the league, a former player in a leadership position during his time in the NFL joined the chorus of voices concerned with the way quarterback Tua Tagovailoa addressed publicly issues with fellow teammates coming late or not at all to player-only meetings after the team’s latest setback, a late-game loss to the Los Angeles Chargers over the weekend.
“Can’t do that,” the former NFL player told me. “He has to stand in charge.”
Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins are only 1-5 entering Week 7. (John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Now 1-5 this season, head coach Mike McDaniel is facing an uphill climb to avoid another losing season. The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000 and have made the playoffs just five times since then. McDaniel is 9-14 since the start of the 2024 season after reaching the postseason in his first two years as head coach in Miami.
On Monday, McDaniel said Tagvailoa could have handled things in a different manner.
“Regardless of intent and what was on Tua’s mind, after a loss as the franchise quarterback, that’s not the forum to displace that,” McDaniel told reporters earlier this week. “I think he knows that now. I do honestly believe there was no ill intention, but you’re talking about a misguided representation of player-orchestrated film sessions. … Heavy is the crown of being a franchise quarterback.”
How franchise quarterbacks handle challenging situations outside the facility is critical for the success and culture of a team. And for this ex-NFL player, Tagovailoa missed the mark.
“He’s the leader,” the former NFL player added. “Call them out in a meeting, but not publicly. That type of stuff stays in the locker room.”
Another NFL source who worked in the building before McDaniel took over as head coach said the fact that Miami is a warm-water, port city with a lot of distractions outside of the building contributes to the challenge of creating chemistry and cohesion within the locker room.
“Apathy starts to set in when you’re 2-9 or whatever, and you’re totally eliminated from the playoffs. Then what is your motivation?” the source told me. “Now, you start going to the Christmas parties that start on Dec. 2 in Miami and are going on into January.
“Miami is distracting. They are distracting themselves and their outlook is not very good. You have to fully acknowledge the temptation and explain to them that you have to omit this from your repertoire for about four of five years.”
The NFL source also agreed with the previous comments that Miami’s franchise quarterback should have handled things differently.
“The issue is, is Tua playing well enough to make that comment in public?” the source told me. “The reality of this thing is this: Be careful of being critical. You must be beyond reproach, especially at the quarterback position. It’s not like McDaniel has any juice in the locker room to say something or stick up for Tua.
“So, he’s on his own. McDaniel is on his own. Everyone is on their own right now. Tyreek Hill isn’t coming through that door anytime soon. He probably won’t be a member of that team much longer. It definitely shows me that these are desperate times.”
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
