MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins are facing internal turmoil after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa publicly criticized teammates for missing or arriving late to player-only meetings following Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The loss dropped Miami to 1-5 on the season, marking another disappointing chapter in what's shaping up to be a forgettable 2025 campaign for the franchise.
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"We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late, and a guy not showing up to player-only meetings. It's a lot of things of that nature that we got to get cleaned up," Tagovailoa said.
Head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the quarterback's comments during Monday's media session, indicating he's ready to move past the controversy.
"I've got a lot of things to worry about, and one of them is not those comments and where our team is lying after that," McDaniel said.
Several teammates expressed displeasure with Tagovailoa's decision to air internal issues publicly.
"I try to keep those things out of the media part of it. I don't think we should be giving out the details to that," offensive lineman Patrick Paul said.
"Things that happen between the team should stay between the team," fellow offensive lineman Aaron Brewer said.
Despite the distractions, players acknowledge the team's poor record remains the primary concern.
"We have to get after and we're not doing that right now," defensive tackle Zach Seiler said.
"I feel like every week we find a new way to lose. You'd think it's only a few ways, but there's multiple, but we're close, it gives us hope that we can do it," cornerback Rasul Douglas said.
The Dolphins now turn their attention to Sunday's matchup against the Cleveland Browns, who feature one of the NFL's most feared defenses led by pass rusher Myles Garrett.
"He's an excellent player and I'm really excited to go against him. You can watch him attack, be in great tackle position, and he will still win. He's a very good player," Paul said.
