Following the Miami Dolphins' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Tua Tagovailoa came forward and called out players on the team for missing or showing up late to team meetings. In the process, he called on the team's leadership to be better.
With the team 1-5, and with Mike McDaniel on the hot seat, those comments could be interpreted as a shot at McDaniel for not managing the players correctly.
The next day, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald responded to Tagovailoa's comments, criticizing his quarterback for those comments, while also expressing that he believes there was no ill will behind Tagovailoa's comments.
Mike McDaniel responds to Tua Tagovailoa's critique of leadership following Week 6 loss
"Now that I've heard of them," McDaniel said, "after a loss as a franchise quarterback, that's not the place (to say) that. He knows that now. I honestly believe there was no ill intention. You're talking about a misrepresentation of player-orchestrated film sessions."
Does McDaniel think Tua should not have made those comments? "Now that I've heard of them - you guys caught me before I heard them - after a loss as a franchise quarterback, that's not the place [to say] that. He knows that now. I honestly believe there was no ill intention.…
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) October 13, 2025
There are a few noteworthy things from this comment by McDaniel, with the most notable being his critique of Tagoavailoa for making the comment he did. McDaniel referenced Tagovailoa as the team's starting quarterback, highlighting that he's a leader as well, and he needs to be better in those moments.
Those comments can only further fracture a locker room. If they were made internally, it's an issue that can be sorted out. But since Tagovailoa made those comments public, there's a lot more attention on the team and the dynamic inside the organization.
McDaniel also brought up how he doesn't believe that his starting quarterback intended any ill will with that comment. Not only does he not view those comments as ones made with ill intention, but that there was a misunderstanding surrounding those comments.
A "player-orchestrated film session" seems to imply a non-mandatory meeting. If Tagovailoa's critique of players revolves around such meetings, then, while still not ideal for players not to show up amid a losing streak, it's more understandable why someone didn't show up or was late.
More: Should Miami Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel after Week 5 loss?
There are plenty of issues going on with the Dolphins through the first six weeks of the 2025 NFL season, and the dynamic between Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel is ever-changing.
McDaniel has been on the hot seat for weeks now, as their Week 5 loss had the Dolphins' head coach's status in question. And the internal issues with Miami being well-documented, this latest issue between McDaniel and Tagovailoa doesn't help his case to stay with the team going forward.
This latest conflict isn't a major one, but it's something noteworthy as the Dolphins continue to lose. McDaniel is firmly on the hot seat and is one of the most likely head coaches to be fired after Brian Callahan was fired by the Tennessee Titans after six weeks.
More Dolphins News:
- Will Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel? NFL insider gives timeline for possible ouster
- Cowboys urged to trade for Dolphins' star as Micah Parsons replacement
- Dolphins have the perfect, goofiest candidate to run a trick pass play with
- Darren Waller teams timeline: Full history of TE's NFL career, from Raiders stardom to unretiring to join Dolphins