The biggest story of the week, so far, happened when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa criticized former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, which included Tua calling Flores (indirectly but unmistakably) a “terrible person.”
On Tuesday, Flores handled the situation with surprising candor and self-awareness, with none of the usual coach speak or cliché we’ve all come to expect from the industry.
On Wednesday, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel met with reporters. In roughly 20 minutes of questions and answers, no one asked about Tua’s comment regarding Flores or Flores’s comments.
It’s a fair question. It’s a necessary question. What does McDaniel think about Tua being so candid? Is McDaniel concerned that Tua has created a distraction by opting for the “terrible person” label?
What, if anything, did McDaniel notice about Tua’s self-confidence after he spent his first two seasons being coached by Flores? What has McDaniel specifically done to contrast with Flores?
Still, nothing. Not a single question.
Hopefully, the next time Tua has a press conference, someone will ask him about his comments regarding Flores.
The problem with these regular press conferences is that, if there’s a delicate subject, some reporters will be inclined to wait for someone else to be the one to ask the question. And if they all wait for someone else, the question will never be asked.
UPDATE 11:09 a.m. ET: McDaniel sort of addressed the situation on Monday, but without a direct and clear question (such as, for example, “What’s your reaction to Tua calling Brian Flores a ‘terrible person’?”). Also, the story has gotten bigger since Monday, especially with Flores responding on Tuesday.