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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN
MIAMI — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa says he hasn’t heard from Brian Flores after the two publicly exchanged comments about the nature of their relationship last week.
Speaking to local media Monday, Tagovailoa said he had nothing to add to the comments he made about his former coach and that Flores had not reached out to him.
During an appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show” that aired last week, Tagovailoa called out the former Dolphins head coach for his disrespectful coaching style, emphasizing the contrasting and supportive style of coach Mike McDaniel.
“In the simplest words, if you wake up every morning and I tell you to suck what you’re doing, if you don’t have anything, if you’re not here, this person should be here. , if you don’t get this right , then you have someone else come and tell you, ‘Mom, you’re the best for this,'” he said, “how do you feel about listening to one or the other, you see what I’m saying?
“Then you hear, it doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad, you hear more, you start to believe. I don’t care who you are. You can be the president of the United States. , you have bad people telling you things that you don’t want to hear or you probably don’t have to hear it, you will start to believe that about yourself. Actually, it’s been, what, two years of training that not only me but also some guys who have been my freshman year until now.
Now the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, Flores was asked about Tagovailoa’s comments and admitted that after reflecting on his situation, there are things he could have done better.
He also expressed a desire to learn from Tagovailoa’s criticism — though he admitted to not responding positively when he first learned of the former player’s comments.
“Look, I’m human,” Flores said. “So that hit me in a way that wasn’t … positive for me. But at the same time, I had to use it and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better. ?’ And do I feel that way, but how can I grow from that situation and create a world where nobody talks about Brian Flores?”
Tagovailoa said he had not seen Flores’ response.
Flores coached the Dolphins during Tagovailoa’s first two NFL seasons in 2020 and 2021, which produced a 19-14 record but no playoff appearances. Flores was fired after the 2021 season and the Dolphins hired McDaniel a month later.
Tagovailoa has thrived since McDaniel’s arrival, setting career highs with 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. He signed a four-year, $212.1 million extension this offseason. McDaniel declined to comment on the nature of Flores’ relationship with Tagovailoa, but has worked to instill confidence in the quarterback over the past two years — to the point of showing a 700-play highlight tape before the 2022 season, which included drama. McDaniel believes Tagovailoa fits his offense.
“I’m very focused on what this locker room needs and certain situations that are very difficult for me to evaluate correctly, I almost think – I don’t spend a lot of time patting myself on the back a lot,” said McDaniel last week.
“I think there are a lot of players who have developed since I’ve been here, and growth is all I care about, and the inherent growth they have. I’m just really focused on pushing people to be the best or the best version of themselves and reach a new height, and that I have a lot of control.
