Sep 12, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during a timeout during the second half of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa called Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores — his former head coach — a “terrible person” this week, but Flores has since refused to get down in the dirt with his response.
For starters, Tagvailoa ignited the beef on a radio show. “To put it in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right, and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this,'” Tagovailoa told The Dan Le Batard Show, implicating Flores as the culprit. “How would it make you feel listening to one or the other, you see what I’m saying?”
And Tagovailoa didn’t stop there.
“Then you hear it, no matter what it is, the good or the bad, you hear it more and more, you start to believe that. I don’t care who you are. You could be the president of the United States, you have a terrible person telling you things that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start believing that about yourself,” Tagovailoa continued his sharp critique of Flores.
“And so that’s what sort of ended up happening. It was, it’s basically been what two years of training that out of not just me but a couple of guys as well that have been here my rookie year all the way until now.”
Miami employed Flores as its head coach from 2019 to 2021, and when Tagovailoa began to develop as a rookie, Flores often rolled with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback during the 2020 campaign.
After Tagovailoa’s harsh words, Flores spoke to reporters in Eagan on Tuesday. Flanked by Flores’ coworkers Josh Metellus and Harrison Phillips, who wanted to show support for their leader, Flores talked about the comments. “I just want to say, look, I’m genuinely happy, genuinely happy for the success that Tua’s had, and I really wish him nothing but the best,” Flores replied.
“I think player relationships are very important to me. I think that’s kind of the foundation of coaching. I got into coaching because I was impacted as a young guy by my high school coaches, my college coaches, going all the way to Pop Warner,” Flores added.
“I got into coaching because I wanted to make that same kind of impact — positive impact — pour into young people, help them become the best versions of themselves. That’s really my goal always in coaching. So, I wish nothing but the best to Tua.”
Flores also said he wouldn’t oppose burying the hatchet with Tagovailoa down the line, though he provided no specific timetable.
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards last season under Mike McDaniel and fetched a humongous four-year, $212.4 million contract this offseason. His team, however, has yet to win a playoff game with him under center.
Flores concluded, “I’m human, so that hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me. At the same time, I’ve got to use that and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better?’ That’s really where I’m at from that standpoint. Do I feel like that’s me? No. How can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores?”
It’s worth noting that no current Vikings players have publicly echoed Tagovailoa’s sentiment regarding Flores.
On standing next to Flores during reporters’ questions, safety Josh Metellus explained, “Just letting him know we’re behind him.”
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
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