Tua Tagovailoa made headlines after Sunday’s game for the way he criticized some of his Miami Dolphins teammates, and Nick Saban was both disappointed in and proud of his former player for the way the situation was handled.
Following the Dolphins’ 29-27 Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Tagovailoa told reporters that some of his teammates have not been putting in substantial effort during the week leading up to games. On Wednesday, the quarterback issued an apology and said he created unnecessary drama for his team.
Saban, who coached Tagovailoa at Alabama, discussed the situation during a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The seven-time national champion said he was “shocked” by the way Tagovailoa bashed his teammates but proud of Tua for taking accountability.
“I was really shocked that Tua did what he did when he threw some guys under the bus,” Saban said. “Maybe they’re not playing the way they should play. I’m not taking up for the guys, but you don’t say that about your teammate. But I really was proud of the way he came back and sort of took accountability for making a mistake.”
Saban said he always told players not to criticize teammates and that he made it a point to not criticize his players.
“I am proud of the way he handled it, but one of the things I always try to tell our players is you never criticize another player. My entire coaching career, you never saw me criticize one of our players,” Saban added. “I think everybody’s gotta take responsibility for what they can control. If you start worrying about things that you can’t control, that’s gonna start affecting things that you can control.”
"I'm proud of the way Tua handled that situation but I was really shocked that he did what he did..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 17, 2025
You don't say that about your teammates but I was really proud of the way he took accountability for a mistake" ~ Coach Saban #PMSlive pic.twitter.com/zPpMSkyknw
Tagovailoa was obviously frustrated when he made the comments and wanted to hold his team accountable. Saban feels that should have been done behind closed doors. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel agreed, which is why he publicly expressed displeasure with Tagovailoa.
There have been reports that point to a lack of discipline among Dolphins players, which reflects poorly on McDaniel. Tagovailoa made his teammates look bad and his coach even worse when he revealed that players are not fulfilling their responsibilities during the week.
