During a pair of press conferences held since the Tua Tagovailoa comments about former Dolphins coach Brian Flores surfaced, no one asked current Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel whether the situation creates a distraction.
In an interview that aired on Wednesday’s SportsCenter, ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio asked McDaniel if he has any concern Tua’s sharp and candid criticism of Flores will be a distraction for the team.
“Absolutely not,” McDaniel said. “In this world or in this league on a football team, you can’t hide. And if your mind’s somewhere else, you may not tell me, but you’ll show me. . . . The supreme details, the little coaching points, all the things, the snap points. Something’s gonna give if your mind is elsewhere. We do our best to try to make it challenging enough so that’s always the case. And that’s why my conviction comes from my eyes, my ears, and being where I’m at.”
Still, it’s one thing for an issue to distract from a player’s on-field focus. It’s another for an issue to become an off-field distraction, with every player asked about it by reporters, family, friends, etc.
Tua himself has not yet given a press conference since the comments emerged. Paolantonio explained during the feature that Tua didn’t speak to reporters today, and that he’s not scheduled to do so next week, either. (We asked the Dolphins this morning when Tua will next answer questions from the media, but the team has not yet responded.)
Paolantonio also interviewed running back Raheem Mostert for the segment. Here’s what he said about Tua’s remarks: “I know from previous conversations, you know, some years back, he was going through a rough time, rough patch. But, honestly, that’s in the wind. And he made those comments, you know, knowing that he just wants to get it out there. You know, that’s his big — his big thing. He doesn’t talk that much. So when he does speak, it’s with some volume.”
There was plenty of volume in this situation, especially when Tua called Flores a “terrible person.”
It’s unclear why Tua isn’t speaking this week or next. Presumably, Paolantonio requested an interview with Tua for his feature. Presumably, the team and/or the player declined.
For his part, Flores handled himself very well in dealing with the situation on Tuesday. Tua needs to face reporters, too. Unless the goal is to run out the clock in the hopes that, by the time he meets with reporters again, the moment will have passed.