Marcel Louis-Jacques
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa apologized Wednesday for feedback he made after Sunday's loss to the Chargers, when he criticized teammates for being late to players-only conferences.
Tagovailoa opened his information convention Wednesday by apologizing for his feedback and taking accountability for his or her influence on his teammates.
“I've made a mistake and I am proudly owning as much as that proper now,” he mentioned. “I've talked to guys on the staff about it, talked to the leaders about it, they usually know my coronary heart. They know that the intent was proper. However regardless of the intent … when issues get misconstrued or nonetheless the media needs to painting it, that leaves a void of silence and plenty of questions for the fellows on our staff now being 1-5. We discuss rather a lot about, ‘All proper, we acquired to get this going, are available in excited to go to work, neglect concerning the noise.' And I really feel like I simply added onto that for our guys.
“I've acquired to take a look at myself because the chief defending the staff. I do not really feel like I did that to the perfect of my skills. I felt like I let the feelings of the sport get to me after the sport. And that is one thing that I can study from as a pacesetter on this staff and what occurs in-house must be protected and none of that ought to have gotten out.”
Shortly after Miami's 29-27 loss Sunday, Tagovailoa was requested how gamers would chorus from feeling sorry for themselves after a 1-5 begin. He mentioned the staff's participant management wanted to obviously outline expectations for the remainder of the staff — and people expectations wanted to be met.
“We've guys displaying as much as players-only conferences late, guys not displaying as much as players-only conferences,” he mentioned. “There's rather a lot that goes into that. Do we've got to make this necessary? Will we not need to make this necessary?
“It is plenty of issues of that nature that we have to get cleaned up, and it begins with little issues like that.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel mentioned Monday that Tagovailoa's feedback have been “misguided” and have been made in an improper discussion board.
A number of gamers, together with Rasul Douglas, Aaron Brewer and Patrick Paul, declined to touch upon Tagovailoa's public message from Sunday, saying staff points must be stored in-house.
Defensive deal with Zach Sieler, who's a staff captain like Tagovailoa, mentioned everybody has a “proper to our opinion” however in any other case mentioned he did not wish to critique the quarterback.
McDaniel mentioned he hasn't had a difficulty with participant attendance at staff conferences, and that Tagovailoa's feedback pertained solely to players-only periods. The Dolphins had a difficulty with tardiness and absences from staff actions in earlier seasons, however a number of gamers and coaches say these points are behind them.
“There's been stuff previously we've got completely mounted,” Sieler mentioned. “We've plenty of new guys on my facet of the ball … and I feel we've got plenty of guys that wish to purchase in. They're shopping for into the tradition, they're attempting to place their finest foot ahead. We aren't making a number of the performs we have to make, and the perfect factor we are able to do is be current, ship each apply to actually hone in on these performs to make it as game-like as doable so on Sunday we begin making these performs.”
Tagovailoa mentioned he made his authentic feedback out of frustration, and conversations together with his teammates opened him as much as views that he hadn't beforehand considered.
Miami's begin to the season is its worst since 2021, when it began 1-7 earlier than ending 9-8 and one recreation out of the AFC playoff image. Tagovailoa mentioned adversity like what the Dolphins are at the moment dealing with teaches gamers rather a lot about one another — however the tough begin hasn't torn them aside simply but.
“I might say in the beginning, you get to see who an individual actually is as you are going by means of the hardships, proper?” he mentioned. “You get to see, ‘OK, does this individual begin pointing fingers? Does this individual take it upon themselves each time? How does everybody go about that?' I feel you sort of get a great gauge concerning the staff that you've as nicely with that.
“However I might say there hasn't been any bickering or pointing of fingers recently. There's simply guys which are placing their head down, attempting to work and do the perfect that they'll to place us in the perfect place to win video games.”
