Mike McDaniel Destroys Ryan Clark’s Silly Narratives About Tua Tagovailoa’s Fitness, Work Ethic

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A day after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told ESPN’s Ryan Clark to keep his name out of his mouth, he got a full-throated defense from his head coach.

Mike McDaniel called Tagovailoa’s offseason one of the five best on the team and added: “We are getting the absolute best version of Tua that’s existed.”

Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Gets Tua Tagovailoa’s Back

In case you’ve had your WiFi cut this week, let’s get you up to speed on the Clark vs. Tua beef.

Clark on the air earlier this week said Tua “wasn’t in the gym” this offseason and suggested he looked like an exotic dancer. (On Thursday, Clark apologized for his remarks.)

Btw, this is the video with Clark's commentspic.twitter.com/GNFskgSKVb

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 23, 2023

“He might spend a lot of time in the tattoo parlor,” Clark said. “He was not at the dinner table eating what the nutritionist had advised. He looks ‘happy.’ He is thick.”

Those comments angered Tagovailoa, who dismissed the lunacy that he wasn’t committed to his fitness and diet this offseason. He has gained weight, but it’s mostly muscle added to help keep him healthy.

“He probably knows more about me than I know about myself. I don’t know, Ryan’s been out in the league for some time. I don’t know. It’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people, and they’re not that person. So I was just a little weird.

Tua Tagovailoa with some strong words for Ryan Clark pic.twitter.com/ihGd3dXZC2

— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) August 23, 2023

“My background is like, I come from a Samoan family. Respect is everything. But, you know, it does get to a point where, ‘Hey, a little easy on that buddy,’ because, you know, we — I think — we’re pretty tough-minded people, and if we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy too. Just saying.”

Mike McDaniel’s Comments on Tua Tagovailoa

On Thursday, the Dolphins’ final training camp practice of 2023, McDaniel was asked about the controversy.

His response?

“I can say hard facts that I’ve seen with my own eyes, and it’s been top five on the team.

“… He was already invested before this year. But then, you know, taking a bunch of things that have happened, he really put an onus on controlling what he can control.

“So you want to talk about every metric that [strength coach] Dave Puloka and his strength staff really track, which is pretty much everything. To the degree of blinks. Every metric of strength that is measured, he’s shattered his previous highs and some, in some instances, he’s almost twice as strong. That’s been a daily commitment that he hasn’t wavered from.

“He’s taken his nutrition to another level. He’s taken his commitment to what he’s trying to do and really thought outside the box and really, really worked at it.

“So I couldn’t be happier with the work he put in and what I’ve actually used from my own eyes. You’re happy for guys as a coach when you can see in the present that, down the road, they’re gonna have no regrets, meaning that results are what the results are.

“But you know, without any shade of gray, that you put your best foot forward and he really, he really has. I think his teammates would agree. We are getting the absolute best version of Tua that’s existed.”