MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa showed up to work Wednesday, he never thought he’d have to answer questions about ignorant comments made by Ryan Clark on television.
But it was evitable that reporters would want Tagovailoa’s thoughts about Clark, who basically called Tagovailoa overweight on ESPN.
If you want to read the exact insult, it’s available elsewhere. What you’re getting here is Tagovailoa’s response, which showed fire and confidence that has to thrill his teammates and coaches.
Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Rips Ryan Clark
Tagovailoa’s response was so good that we’re publishing it in full:
“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.
“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.”
Tua Tagovailoa with some strong words for Ryan Clark pic.twitter.com/ihGd3dXZC2
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) August 23, 2023
Tagovailoa wasn’t done.
Asked how hard he worked this past offseason in an effort to bulk up to protect himself against injury, he replied:
“We all work hard throughout the offseason. And I’m not someone to talk about myself the entire time. But, yeah, takes a lot. You think I wanted to build all this muscle? Like, to some extent, I wanted to; I don’t want it to be a little lighter.
“I don’t know. 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. So, you know, I’d appreciate if you kept my name out your mouth. That’s what I’d say.”
The truth is, ESPN wouldn’t have half of its daytime programming if it weren’t for Tagovailoa. He’s a polarizing figure, and everything about him is up for debate.
There’s an entire industry of people getting rich by ragging on Tua, which is so bizarre because he’s a genuinely nice guy.
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When asked about that dynamic, he replied:
“I stay out of the media as much as I can. I try to live my life as private as I can. So I mean, if they think it’s chasing clout, buddy, I’m the wrong person.
“Like there’s nothing about me that tells you that I am. Go find Jake Paul, or go find Logan. Go find those guys. Like if you wanna chase clout, like those are the guys you wanna chase clout.”