NFL news: Tua Tagovailoa apologizes for calling out Dolphins teammates

Tua Tagovailoa apologized Wednesday for calling out his teammates after the Miami Dolphins’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tagovailoa initially said he was “shocked” by the latest losses and was asked how the team will avoid trying to take a “woe is me” attitude through the next few games. He suggested that other members of the team must start pulling their weight and doing the little things.

“Well, I think it starts with the leadership in helping articulate that for the guys, and then what we’re expecting out of the guys,” he said. “We’re expecting this. Are we getting that? Are we not getting that? 

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium.  (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

“We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late. Guys not showing up to player-only meetings. There is a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make that mandatory? Do we not have to make that mandatory? So it’s a lot of things of that nature that we got to get cleaned up. It starts with the little things like that.”

But on Wednesday, Tagovailoa told reporters that he “made a mistake” by not “protecting the team.”

“I made a mistake, and I’m owning up to that right now. I’ve talked to guys on the team about it, talked to leaders about it,” Tagoavailoa said. “They know in my heart, they know the intent was right. But no matter the intent, 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. 

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field at the end of the first half during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills. The game took place in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sept. 12, 2024. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

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“Now, being 1-5, we talk a lot about ‘We gotta get this going, we gotta get this going,’ come in, excited to go to work, forget about the noise, and I feel like I just added onto that for our guys. For myself, I gotta look at myself as a 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, and that’s something I can learn from as a leader on this team. What happens in-house should be protected, and none of that should have gotten out. So, want to publicly apologize for that, want to move forward, and want to focus on [our next opponent in] the Cleveland Browns.”

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) aims a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida.   (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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Tagovailoa was 21-of-32 with 205 passing yards, a go-ahead touchdown pass to Darren Waller and three interceptions against the Chargers. Their only victory came against the winless New York Jets.

Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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