As the Miami Dolphins prepare to play the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason in 2021, Tua Tagovailoa (right) speaks with Brian Flores (left). Wilfredo Lee/AP
In an interview that aired on Monday, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa expressed his open opinions about Brian Flores, calling his former head coach a “terrible person.”
The 26-year-old quarterback discussed the distinctions between Flores’ coaching style and that of his new head coach, Mike McDaniel, on the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.”
“To put it simply, imagine that every morning you woke up to me telling you that you are terrible at what you do, that this guy should be here, that you shouldn’t be here, and that you haven’t earned this right. Then, someone else would come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this.'” You’re right, you are
After that, you hear it over and over again—good or bad—and as you hear it more and more, you begin to genuinely believe it. Whoever you are, I don’t care. It’s possible for you to become the US President. [If] you have a terrible person that’s telling you things that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself.
“That’s sort of what ended up happening. It’s basically been two years of training that out of, not just me, but a couple of the guys as well that have been here since my rookie year all the way until now.”
Flores was the head coach of the Dolphins when Tagovailoa was selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He is currently in his second season as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings.
