Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa seems like a very nice young man. And he surely was taught at a young age to respect his elders.
I was. And it made for some strange interactions once I started practicing law, and once I started dealing with other lawyers who were both much older than me and, well, complete assholes.
My mother’s words rattled through my brain. Always respect your elders. Always respect your elders. Eventually, another message competed with it. The rent is due the first of the month. The rent is due the first of the month.
Eventually, the rent won.
Tua’s rent is taken care of through 2024 and then some, thanks to the team picking up his fifth-year option. But he still has to prove himself in 2023, especially as it relates to staying healthy. He needs to protect himself; he knows that. He also needs to protect his turf, arguably.
That brings me to the other name in the headline. Tom Brady, retired quarterback. Recently, he was asked if there was any chance he’d unretire and play for the Dolphins. He didn’t say no. He didn’t say, “Miami has a quarterback.” Instead, he quickly made the point that he’s currently not attached to any team, which clearly implies he can sign with any team at any time.
Enter Tua. As I told Joe Rose yesterday morning on WQAM in Miami, it’s disrespectful to Tua for Brady to talk about Tua’s job so nonchalantly. It’s especially disrespectful for Brady to do it given the history.
Throughout 2021 (until the trade deadline came and went), Tua had to deal with the possibility of the Dolphins trading for Deshaun Watson. As one source explained it not long after the 2021 season ended, former Dolphins coach Brian Flores was “fixated” on getting Watson.
Also after the 2021 season, it became obvious that Brady wanted to become the Miami quarterback for 2022, a process of tampering that culminated in the Dolphins not having a first-round pick in five days, when the 2023 draft commences.
Brady knows that history very well. And that history makes it even more important for Brady to not talk about Tua’s job.
It’s also now important for Tua to get word to Tommy to shut the f--k up about Tua’s job. It would be great to see Tua show that kind of fire. And he’d be fully justified in doing it.
Whether Brady is keeping the door open or simply trying to keep people guessing, it’s wrong for him to create the impression that he’s still sniffing around Tua’s job. It’s one thing for someone like me to say that publicly. It’s quite another for Tua to say it directly to Brady.
And Tua absolutely should. Even though Brady is Tua’s elder, by more than two decades.
