Miami Dolphins head coach Stephen Ross had a very awkward moment Thursday when introducing Jeff Hafley as the team’s new head coach.
Ross spoke during Thursday’s press conference to unveil Hafley, the former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, as the new Dolphins coach. While speaking about how impressed he had been with Hafley during the job interview, Ross seemingly froze up and forgot the coach’s name. He paused for several seconds and seemingly had to look down at his notes to remind himself who he had hired.
🎥 Stephen Ross on hiring Jeff Hafley as the new head coach: "Jeff stood out amongst them all. We were really fortunate that he was available, we made our decision early… we got who we wanted." (@MiamiDolphins) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/YnODrVr9Bn
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) January 22, 2026
“Jeff stood out amongst them all,” Ross finally managed.
Ross, 85, infamously saw his team stripped of a first-round pick after an NFL investigation found that he had illegally tampered with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton while they were under contract with other teams. He has owned the franchise since 2008, and Hafley is the fifth head coach hired on his watch. Of the previous four, only Mike McDaniel departed the organization with a winning record.
The general consensus is that the Dolphins made a strong hire with Hafley, so it is not as if Ross has no idea what he is doing. He certainly froze up at an awkward time, though.
