Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has had time to reflect on Tua Tagovailoa's comments following the team's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and has now changed his tune
23:01 ET, 13 Oct 2025Updated 23:01 ET, 13 Oct 2025
Mike McDaniel looks on
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Mike McDaniel has responed to Tua Tagovailoa's comments(Image: Getty Images)
Mike McDaniel has addressed Tua Tagovailoa's public criticism of his teammates in the wake of the Miami Dolphins' most recent defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Following the loss to the Chargers, the Dolphins fell to 1-5 for the season, with virtually every aspect of the team failing to find any kind of rhythm. A visibly frustrated Tagovailoa addressed the media and outlined what changes were necessary for the squad to develop a winning mentality.
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Initially, McDaniel stood by Tagovailoa's comments, but upon further reflection, the head coach walked back his support. His change of heart arrives as speculation grows about McDaniel's future amid what appears to be a season spiraling out of control.
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"Well, I mean, now that I've heard of them - you guys caught me before I heard them - so it was kind of like, I mean, it doesn't surprise me, whatever reaction. Regardless of intent and what was on his mind, after a loss as the franchise quarterback, that's not the forum to displace that," McDaniel told reporters Monday.
"But I think he knows that now, I do honestly believe it was not, there was no ill intention. But you're talking about, you know, I think kind of a misguided representation of player-orchestrated film sessions, and, you know, the bottom line is no one's going to be happy.
"So you're trying to look for reasons that, you know, you can attribute to losses. You know, heavy is the crown of being a franchise quarterback. What I do know is that he's directly communicated with a lot of guys, starting with last night, and that's what teammates do, and you live and you learn.
Mike McDaniel speaking reporters
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Mike McDaniel spoke to the media about Tua Tagovialoa's comments throwing the team under the bus(Image: YouTube: @Miami Dolphins)
"And ultimately I look at it like everything else, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Accountability and our team's performance always lies squarely on my shoulders, so we know that as well. But the focus is to beat the Cleveland Browns and fix this.
"Fix what we need to get fixed in our game to go attack the next opponent. There's nowhere in that lies anything but focus on what we can do individually and how we can attack this work week, and everything else is not leading us into the direction of solution."
McDaniels' comments come after Tagovailoa, in no uncertain terms, stated his teammates needed to do a better job of locking in, especially with the season unraveling.
NFL: OCT 12 Chargers at Dolphins
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Tua Tagovailoa frustratedly called out his teammates after the Dolphins lost yet again(Image: Getty)
"We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late," he said. "We have guys not showing up to player-only meetings.
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"The only place we can go is next week....We talk about figuring this out, getting it together collectively. I contributed to (it) with the three turnovers. You can't do that and expect to win."
At that moment, McDaniel stated, "Clearly he's sending a message. But from my standpoint, everything I've asked of guys, they've delivered on. And so I'm sure whoever he's talking to, they'll deliver."