For a split second during Wednesday’s press conference, Tua Tagovailoa seemed to not know who Ryan Clark was.
After being dressed in confusion, the Dolphins starting quarterback’s tone and demeanor changed quickly. He knew exactly who and what the reporter was referring to when he pointed to Clark’s critical comments. The ESPN analyst had questioned Tagovailoa’s work ethic and essentially called him fat after his preseason debut against the Houston Texans, in which the 25-year-old quarterback was 5-of-7 for 61 yards with one interception.
For reference, here’s what Clark recently said:
“I’m gonna tell you what he wasn’t doing, he wasn’t in the gym. I’ll bet you that. He might have spent a lot of time in the tattoo parlor. He was not at the dinner table eating what the nutritionist had advised. He looks happy. He is thick. He’s built like a girl working at Onyx [Gentleman’s Club] in Atlanta right on the bottom.”
It’s understandable why Tagovailoa would be upset by those comments. They were unprofessional and Clark, Dan Orlovsky, and Marcus Spears, all former NFL players themselves, were chuckling at his expense. Tagovailoa hasn’t really been one to respond to criticism, but he made it quite clear during Wednesday’s presser that he wasn’t going to let this one fly.
“He probably knows more about me than I know about myself,” Tagovailoa said when asked what he’d say to the ESPN analyst. “I don’t know. Ryan’s been out of the league for some time. I don’t know. It’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people when they’re not that person. Just a little weird. My background is that I come from a Samoan family. Respect is everything. But, it does get to a point where ‘Hey, little easy on that, buddy,’ because I think we’re pretty tough-minded people. And if we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy too. Just saying.”
Tua Tagovailoa with some strong words for Ryan Clark pic.twitter.com/ihGd3dXZC2
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) August 23, 2023
“I think we all worked hard throughout the offseason,” Tagovailoa continued. “And I’m not someone to talk about myself the entire time, but it takes a lot. You think I wanted to build all this muscle? To some extent, I wanted to be a little lighter. There’s a mixture of things that people don’t understand that people don’t know about that are talked about that go behind the scenes. I’d appreciate it if you kept my name out of your mouth, that’s what I’d say.”
Tua Tagovailoa with some strong words to ESPN’s Ryan Clark and his criticism that Tua didn’t seem to train well in offseason. He ends saying:
“I’d appreciate if you kept my name out your mouth. That’s what I’d say.” pic.twitter.com/UrZpZsO1I0
— Will Manso (@WillManso) August 23, 2023
This is a side of Tagovailoa that we haven’t really seen before. It’s clear that Clark’s comments went the additional mile and were disrespectful in nature. We’ll have to see if Clark responds on NFL Live and even if it does, Tagovailoa has essentially sent a message to talking heads that he’s no longer going to put up with any disrespect that has little, if anything, to do with his play.
Update: Clark later said on Twitter he takes accountability for his comments, but meant them as a joke:
I 100% take accountability for it!! I said it!! I meant it!! It was a joke!! If asked why I said it by Tua I would tell him. I have 0 issues looking a man in the eye and telling my truth. I accept any consequence
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) August 23, 2023
