Tua Tagovailoa has damning remarks about being coached by Brian Flores
Oct 15, 2021; Ware, United Kingdom; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) at a press conference at the Hanbury Marriott Manor and Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Tua Tagovailoa has hinted in the past that he did not enjoy his time playing under former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, but the quarterback has now removed all doubt.
In an interview with the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” that aired on Monday, Tagovailoa was asked how playing for Mike McDaniel has differed from what he experienced under Flores a few years ago. Tagovailoa did not hold back with his response.
“To put it in simplest terms: If you woke up every morning and I told you you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right, and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this. You are accurate. You are the best whatever. You are this, you are that.’ How would it make you feel listening to one or the other?” Tagovailoa asked Le Batard.
Tagovailoa then spoke about how the constant negativity can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“Regardless of what it is, the good or the bad, and you hear it more and more, you start to actually believe it,” Tagovailoa said. “I don’t care who you are. You can be the president of the United States. If you have a terrible person that’s telling you things that you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t hear, you’re gonna start to believe that about yourself.”
You can hear the full comments:
“If you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong, that you shouldn’t be here, that you haven’t earned this…
and then someone come and tells you, ‘You are the best fit for this…How you that make you feel?”
– @Tua describes the… pic.twitter.com/bBHI6IsVlj
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 19, 2024
When McDaniel first took over as head coach in Miami, Tagovailoa delivered some telling remarks about the support he had received from the new staff. There had been numerous reports that Tagovailoa and Flores did not get along, though Flores denied the reports.
Tagovailoa has played at an MVP level under McDaniel when healthy, which is why he recently signed a record 4-year, $212 million extension with the Dolphins. Flores, who is currently the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, has his own side of how things went down in Miami. He told much of it in his bombshell lawsuit against the NFL.
One thing is for certain — Tagovailoa is glad the Dolphins fired Flores and replaced him with McDaniel.
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