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Tua Tagovailoa apologized Wednesday for calling out his teammates after the Miami Dolphins’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tagovailoa initially said he was “shocked” by the latest losses and was asked how the team would avoid trying to adopt a “woe is me” attitude in future games. He suggested that other team members start doing their part and doing the little things.
“Well, I think it starts with leadership helping to articulate that for the guys and then what we expect from the guys,” he said. “We expect this. Are we getting this? Are we not getting this?
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
“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.”
But on Wednesday, Tagovailoa told reporters he “made a mistake” by not “protecting the team.”
“I made a mistake and I admit it now. I talked to the guys on the team about it, I talked to the management about it,” Tagoavailoa said. “They know in my heart the intention was good. But no matter the intention, the intention can be good, but when things are misconstrued or however the media wants to portray it, it leaves a void of silence and a lot of questions for the guys on our team.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field late in the first half during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills. The match took place in Miami Gardens, Florida on September 12, 2024. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
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“Now being 1-5, we talk a lot about ‘We have to go, we have to go,’ come in, excited to go to work, forget about the noise, and I feel like I added that for our guys. For me, I have to look at myself as a leader protecting the team. I don’t feel like I did that to the best of my ability. I felt like I let the emotions of the game get to me after the game, and This is something I can learn from as a leader in this team. What happens internally should be protected, and none of it should have been leaked. So I want to publicly apologize for that, I want to move forward and I want to focus on [our next opponent in] the Cleveland Browns.”
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) targets a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Tagovailoa finished 21 of 32 with 205 passing yards, one touchdown pass to Darren Waller and three interceptions against the Chargers. Their only victory came against the winless New York Jets.
