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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel initially appreciated that his quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, held his teammates accountable.
But one day after yet another Dolphins loss, McDaniel didn’t like that Tagovailoa publicly called out his teammates anonymously.
During his press conference on Monday, McDaniel clarified that he did not in fact hear what Tagovailoa said during his postgame press conference following a 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Upon reflection, McDaniel criticized his quarterback.
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel walks onto the field before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on August 23, 2025. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
“Regardless of the intent and what Tua had in mind, after a loss, as the franchise quarterback, this is not the forum to replace that,” McDaniel explained. “I think he knows that now. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any bad intent. But you’re talking about some kind of misrepresentation of the player-orchestrated movie sessions.”
Tagovailoa’s comments went viral, as he suggested that other members of the Dolphins needed to start trying harder.
“Well, I think it starts with leadership helping to articulate that for the guys and then what we expect from the guys,” he explained. “We expect this. Are we getting this? Are we not getting this?
TUA TAGOVAILOA CALLS DOLPHINS TEAMMATES AFTER TOUGH LOSS TO CHARGERS
“We have guys showing up late to players-only meetings. Guys not showing up to players-only meetings. There’s a lot of things that come into play. Should we make this mandatory? Should we not make this mandatory? So there’s a lot of things of that nature that we need to clean up. It starts with the little things like that.”
Here’s how McDaniel initially responded to Tagovailoa’s comments:
“The player-led meetings are extra things outside of what I require. We’ve been very accountable to me. It seems like he had something in mind regarding specific meetings with a few people that he was trying to fix 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 practice facility in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo)
“As far as where we are as a program, I think we’ve opened up the discussion on all of this and it’s very clear how we hold people accountable and what’s non-negotiable with all of these things. Obviously he’s sending a message, but from my perspective, everything I’ve asked of the guys, they’ve delivered and so I’m sure that no matter who he’s talking to, they’ll do it as well as he’s a direct communicator with his teammates.”
The Dolphins found themselves in position to hand the Chargers their third straight loss on Sunday as Darren Waller scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. But Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense piled up critical yardage to ultimately give Cameron Dicker a game-winning field goal opportunity that he didn’t waste.
The Dolphins are 1-5 this season with their only win coming against a lackluster New York Jets in Week 4. That start has many people debating how much time McDaniel has left in the head coaching seat in Miami, and losing like that naturally causes frustration in the locker room.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel walks to the locker room after the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
And while he likes to see one of his leaders being proactive about accountability, McDaniel hopes Tagovailoa keeps those conversations behind closed doors.
