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Miami Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sparked backlash within the football community after publicly calling out his teammates following the team’s fifth loss of the season, this time to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Among those disappointed by the quarterback’s comments was his former head coach, Alabama legend Nick Saban.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
Saban, who coached Tagovailoa en route to a national championship during the 2017 season, said he was shocked to hear some of his former quarterback’s remarks.
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“One of the things I always try to tell our players is never criticize another player, and in my entire coaching career, you’ve never seen me criticize one of our players. I think everyone has to take responsibility for what they can control, and if you start worrying about the things you can’t control, it’s going to start affecting the things you can control,” Saban said Friday. “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I was really shocked that Tua did what he didwhen he threw guys under the bus. Maybe they’re not playing the way they should be playing, I’m not taking the guys’ place, but you don’t say that about your teammate.”
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban speaks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) during the College Football National Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Alabama Crimson Tide won the game in overtime 26-23 in Atlanta, Georgia on January 8, 2018. (Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
After the 29-27 loss to Los Angeles, which saw Miami falls to 1-5 this season, Tagovailoa spoke to the media about his teammates.
DOLPHINS’ MIKE MCDANIEL CRITICIZES TUA TAGOVAILOA FOR PUBLICLY CALLING HIS TEAMMATES: ‘IT’S NOT THE FORUM’
“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.”
These remarks sparked negative reactions around the world. NFLprompting him to apologize a few days later.
“As the leader of this team, of the Miami Dolphins, the comments that were said, I made a mistake,” he said Wednesday, “and I admit it right now. I talked to the guys on the team about it, I talked to the management about it, and they know my heart. They know the intention was good. But no matter what the intention…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 speaks during a news conference after the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Dolphins 29-27 in an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Tagovailoa viewed the incident as a learning opportunity and Saban praised his former player for publicly owning up to his mistake.
“I was really proud of the way he came back and took responsibility for his mistake.”
The Dolphins will look to bounce back Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Browns.
