On Monday, a biting and critical assessment of former Dolphins coach Brian Flores has surfaced courtesy of current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
On Tuesday, Flores, in his role as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, spoke to reporters about the situation in a meeting.
Tua told Dan LeBatard: “To put it simply, if you wake up every morning and I told you you suck at what you didthat you have no business doing what you’re doing, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right, and then somebody else comes along and tells you, ‘Buddy, you fit in here the best. You’re precise, you’re the best, whatever, you’re this and that.’ How would you feel if you listened to one or the other? You know what I mean? And then you hear it, you hear it. No matter what it is, the good or the bad. And as you hear it more and more, you start to actually believe it. I don’t care who you are. You could be the President of the United States. If a terrible person tells you things that you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t hear, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself.”
Flores sometimes seems unsettled, sometimes almost shocked, when asked about Tuas’ criticism. As a sign of support, two players – defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and safety Josh Metellus – accompanied him at the beginning of the press conference.
Flores did not accuse Tua of misrepresenting the facts.
“I think, you know, part of coaching is correcting, you know, I’m always going to correct,” Flores said. “I’m always going to have high standards. And I think, you know, look, I’ve done a lot of thinking and — thinking about that situation… thinking about the situation, about communication, you know, I think there are things I could definitely do better. And I’ve grown in that regard. And I’ve tried to apply the things that I can do better and the things that I’ve learned over the last 2-3 years. But I would say in the long run, in my 21-year career here in the league, I’ve had a lot of great relationships. Players, coaches, personnel, equipment, you know, people in the kitchen, really across the board. I’ve had a lot of great relationships. I’ll continue to do that. But I’m also always trying to get better and evolve.”
Flores was also asked about Tua’s description as a “terrible person.”
“Look, I’m human,” Flores said. “So this hit me in a way that wasn’t — I wouldn’t say it was positive for me. But at the same time, I have to use this and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from this? How can I be better?’ And that’s really my standpoint. Do I feel like that’s who I am? No. But, you know, how can I grow from this situation and create a world where that’s not the case, you know, someone saying that about Brian Flores.”
Flores said he was willing to speak with Tua at the appropriate time to clarify the situation.
Flores added that right now is not the right time because Flores is preparing for the season. And so is Tua. Right now, Flores wants to close the chapter and move on.
That’s all he can really do until he has a chance to reconcile with Tua. Flores seems to recognize that something has gone wrong in this relationship. To his credit, he avoids cliches and coach-speak or resorting to a Belichick-esque response like, “I’m not going to talk about anything that happened in the past.”
