NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
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 recent losses and was asked how the team will avoid trying to adopt a “woe is me” attitude over the next few games. He suggested that other members of the team start pulling their weight and doing the little things.
“Well, I think it starts with management in helping to articulate it to the guys and then what we expect from the guys,” he said. “We expect this. Are we getting it? Are we not getting it?
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
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 for players-only meetings. Guys not showing up for players-only meetings. There’s a lot that goes into it. Should we make it mandatory? Shouldn’t we make it mandatory? So it’s a lot of things of that nature that we need to clean up. It starts with 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’m over it right now. I’ve talked to guys on the team about it, talked to managers about it,” Tagoavailoa said. “They know in my heart that they know the intent was right. But regardless of the intent, the intent can be right, but when things get misconstrued or how 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 at the end of the first half during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills. The game took place in Miami Gardens, Florida on September 12, 2024. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
BILLS QUARTERBACK JOSH ALLEN REVEALS WHAT NEWLY MARRIED WIFE HAILEE STEINFELD TEACHED HIM ABOUT LIFE
“Now that we’re 1-5, we talk a lot about ‘We’ve got to get this going, we’ve got to get this going,’ come in, excited to go to work, forget about the noise, and I feel like I just added that to our guys. For myself, I have to look at myself as a leader that protects the team. I don’t feel like I did it to the best of my ability, after the game, I let my emotions get the best of me. and that is something I can learn from as a leader on this team. What happens internally must be protected and none of it should have gotten out. So will publicly apologize for it, will want to move on and will focus on [our next opponent in] 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 was 21-of-32 with 205 passing yards, a clear touchdown pass to Darren Waller and three interceptions against the Chargers. Their only win came against the winless New York Jets.
