On Monday morning, sharply critical comments from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa emerged, regarding his former head coach in Miami, Brian Flores. On Monday afternoon, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about the remarks, now that Flores works as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator.
“I don’t particularly have a comment on something that took place with another team,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, “or I don’t like to comment on comments of other players on other teams, but I can just tell you I know that the players Flo works with, he’s got great relationships here. He really has. I know [reporters covering the team] have heard a lot of them talk about how much they enjoy playing for him, and how much I enjoy working with him every day, and that’s all I can really comment on, and I’d just like to leave it at that.”
Tua didn’t leave it at that. He criticized Flores for his constant criticism of the quarterback, at one point basically saying Flores is a “terrible person.”
The Vikings and Dolphins won’t face each other until 2026, barring an unlikely (especially from Minnesota’s perspective) Super Bowl VIII rematch over the next two seasons. If both Flores and Tua remain in their current jobs at that point, it will make for an interesting reunion, to say the least.