Ryan Clark criticizes Tua Tagovailoa for lack of accountability while calling out teammates

Tua Tagovailoa drew heavy criticism on social media following Sunday’s 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers for his comments during Miami’s postgame press conference. There, the Dolphins QB said his teammates needed to clean up “little things” like attendance during players-only meetings.

On Monday, ESPN’s Ryan Clark wanted to hold Tagovailoa accountable for his role as a leader on the team. He turned the table on the Dolphins QB, asking some hard-hitting questions that could shed light on how Tagovailoa is viewed in-house in his leadership role.

“He only talks about what other players do,” Clark said on NFL Live. “He never says me. He never says I. He talked about it started with leadership, and then said all the things that the people outside of himself aren’t doing correctly. Well, what aren’t you doing correctly, Tua Tagovailoa? When are you getting to the meetings? And when you’re in those meetings, how are you speaking to the players around you? When you get on the practice field, what level of accountability do you hold yourself to?

"He only talks about what other players do. He never says 'me.' He never says 'I.'"@Realrclark25 discusses Tua Tagovailoa's comments on leadership in the Dolphins' locker room. pic.twitter.com/60w6P5Aoq7

— ESPN (@espn) October 13, 2025

“It all starts with the head — it all starts with the guy that calls the shots. That’s Tua Tagovailoa and from what I’ve seen from him and the way that he’s conducted himself. This year, he is in no way gaining the respect of those players in the locker room.”

Clark also criticized Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who Clark sees as more of a teammate to his players rather than a figure of authority. Still, it’s on the players to take the culture that the coach is trying to implement and utilize that to become a cohesive group, Clark said.

To him, Tagovailoa hasn’t been that consummate leader many expect him to be, at least on the surface. His most recent press conference following Week 6’s 29-27 loss to the Chargers showcased just that.

“I think it starts with the leadership and helping articulate that for the guys and what we’re expecting out of the guys,” Tagovailoa said postgame. “We’re expecting this, (but) are we getting that? … It’s a lot of things of that nature that we’ve got to get cleaned up and it starts with the little things like that.”

Miami is currently off the a 1-5 start to the season following Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Looking ahead Tagovailoa and company will take on the Cleveland Browns (also 1-5) on the road during Week 7.