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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel initially liked that his quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, held his teammates accountable.
But a day after another Dolphins loss, McDaniel didn’t like Tagovailoa publicly criticizing his unnamed teammates.
During his Monday press conference, McDaniel clarified that he didn’t actually hear what Tagovailoa said during his postgame press conference following a 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. After reflecting, McDaniel criticized his quarterback.
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel enters the field before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on August 23, 2025. (Sam Navarro/Image Images)
“Regardless of the intent and what Tua had in mind, after a loss, as a franchise quarterback, that’s not the forum to displace him,” McDaniel explained. “I think he knows now. Honestly, I think there’s no bad intentions. But you’re talking about some kind of misrepresentation of the film sessions orchestrated by the players.”
Tagovailoa’s comments went viral, as he suggested that other members of the Dolphins needed to start showing more effort.
“Well, I think it starts with leadership to help articulate that for the guys, and then what we expect from them,” he explained. “We expect this. Are we getting it? Are we not getting it?”
TUA TAGOVAILOA CALLS UP TO HIS DOLPHIN TEAMMATES AFTER Tough LOSS TO THE CHARGERS
“We have guys that show up late to player-only meetings. We have guys that don’t show up to player-only meetings. There’s a lot of things that go into that. Do we have to make it mandatory? Don’t we have to make it mandatory? So there’s a lot of things of that nature that we have to clean up. It starts with the little things like that.”
Here’s how McDaniel initially responded to Tagovailoa’s comments:
“Player-led meetings are additional things outside of what I require. We’ve been very responsible with me. It seems like there was something on his mind regarding specific meetings with a couple of people that he was trying to correct by being direct with communication. I think that’s the only way to lead.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa answers questions during an NFL football press conference, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, at the Dolphins training facility in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo)
“As far as where we’ve been as a program, I think we’ve opened the air about all of that and it’s very clear how we hold people accountable and what’s non-negotiable with all of those things. Clearly, he’s sending a message, but from my standpoint, everything I’ve asked of the guys, they’ve delivered and I’m sure whoever he’s talking to will deliver, plus he’s a direct communicator with his teammates.”
The Dolphins found themselves in position to hand the Chargers their third straight loss Sunday when Darren Waller scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. But Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense gained critical yards to finally give Cameron Dicker a winning field goal opportunity that he didn’t waste.
The Dolphins are 1-5 this season with their only win coming against a mediocre New York Jets club in Week 4. This start had led many to debate how much time McDaniel has left in the head coach’s seat in Miami, and losing like this naturally causes frustration in the locker room.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs to the locker room after the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, September 14, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
And while he likes to see one of his leaders be proactive about accountability, McDaniel expects Tagovailoa to keep those conversations behind closed doors.
