Tua Tagovailoa blatantly called out his Miami Dolphins teammates and coaches after the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Head coach Mike McDaniel and some of the players have responded to the allegations, and the sentiment appears to be the same throughout.
Dolphins Dealing With Tagovailoa’s Leadership Comments
The Dolphins have dug themselves into an early season hole, and frustrations mounted after the loss to the Chargers dropped them to 1-5 on the year. Tagovailoa, who threw three interceptions in the contest, took to the podium after the game and made headlines with his comments. He alluded to a leadership problem within the organization, and said that certain players are either showing up late to meetings or skipping them altogether.
🎥 Tua Tagovailoa reveals players have been arriving late and not showing up to players only meetings: "We have guys showing up to player online meetings late, guys not showing up to player only meetings." (@MiamiDolphins) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/P05u2eb9cH
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) October 12, 2025
There is plenty of criticism being thrown Tagovailoa’s way. With him being the quarterback and having been named one of the team captains, many believe that the criticism is coming from an unwarranted source, and that he should be the one taking his own advice.
Coach & Player Respond To QB’s Comments On Monday
The situation has the potential to cause rifts within the Dolphins locker room, and some of those who were called out have responded to Tagovailoa’s comments in the hours that have followed. Just moment’s after the quarterback’s quotes, McDaniel answered back by saying that players have done everything that he as asked specifically, but added more context on Monday:
“That’s not the forum to [voice] that,” McDaniel said. “He knows that now. I do honestly believe there was no ill intention, but you’re talking about a misguided representation of player-guided film sessions”
Offensive lineman Patrick Paul was also asked about his teammates comments on Monday. Paul mostly deflected the question, but added a bit of context that mirrored what McDaniel has to say:
“I try to keep that stuff out of the media. I think that should be handled internally.”
Patrick Paul asked about Tua’s comments and if the QB talked to Dolphins teammates about it. Says it’s not a topic he wants to discuss openly:
“I try to keep that stuff out of the media. I think that should be handled internally.”
He wouldn’t say if it was handled. pic.twitter.com/H5gD15U96O
— Will Manso (@WillManso) October 13, 2025
With things seemingly falling apart around them, the Dolphins will try to pick up their second win of the season on Sunday. They will be traveling to Cleveland to take on the Browns who are 1-5 themselves. With the line being set at 2.5 points in Cleveland’s favor, it will be the first time that the Browns are favored since Week 11 of last season.
