Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa opened up his scheduled press conference on Wednesday with a public apology to his teammates.
“As a leader of this team, of the Miami Dolphins. The comments that had been said, I would say I’ve made a mistake, and I’m owning up to that right now,” Tagovailoa said to reporters. “I’ve talked to guys on the team about it, talked to the leaders about it. They know my heart. They know that the intent was right, but no matter the intent, the intent can be right, but when things get misconstrued or however the media wants to portray it that leaves a void of silence and a lot of questions for the guys on our team.
“For myself, I got to look at myself as, as the leader, protecting the team. I don’t feel like I did that to the best of my abilities. I felt like I let the emotions of the game get to me after the game. That’s something that I can learn from as a leader on this team. And what happens in house should be protected, and none of that should have gotten out. And so want to publicly apologize about that.”
Tagovailoa’s apology came in the aftermath of the 29-27 Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The quarterback called out his teammates during the postgame press conference for being late or skipping team meetings.
Many people around the league have criticized Tagovailoa for airing out the team’s dirty laundry.
“I think regardless of intent and what was on Tua’s mind after a loss as the franchise quarterback, that’s not the forum to displace that. I think he knows that now. I do honestly believe there was no ill intention,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said earlier this week. “What I do know is that he’s directly communicated with a lot of guys…That’s what teammates do and you live and you learn.”
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are in the midst of a frustrating season. The quarterback’s seven interceptions are the third most in the NFL entering Week 7.
The 1-5 Dolphins are off to their worst start since the 2021 season. Three of their five losses have been within one score. McDaniel and Dolphins general manager Chris Grier are both rumored to be on the hot seat.
Miami’s on the road this week against the Cleveland Browns.
‘I want to move forward,’ Tagovailoa said. ‘Now I want to focus on the Cleveland Browns.’
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
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