Tua Tagovailoa breaks silence on Dolphins' Tom Brady interest: 'They picked me ... I'm still here'
Thu, Aug 11, 2022
NFL News (AP)
Tua Tagovailoa hopes to finally put the Miami Dolphins' interest in Tom Brady to rest. With the NFL releasing their findings on Miami's "impermissible communications" with Brady in 2019 and 2020, Tagovailoa brushed off the noise that he's the quarterback the Dolphins don't really want.'
"Yeah, I mean, I'm still here," Tagovailoa said Wednesday. "To me, that's all noise at this point."
Tagovailoa also believed the Dolphins were trying to only get Brady in 2019 and then he arrived in 2020.'
"I mean, they picked me," Tagovailoa said. "It's 2022. I'm still here."
What Tagovailoa fails to realize is the Dolphins had "impermissible communications" with Brady last year in the NFL's findings, during and after the 2021 season. Tagovailoa was the quarterback. From the NFL:
"The Dolphins again had impermissible communications with both Mr. Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those discussions began no later than early December 2021 and focused on Mr. Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility of his playing for the Dolphins. Both Messrs. Ross and Beal were active participants in these discussions."
In a sudden twist of irony, the Dolphins and'Tampa Bay Buccaneers'held joint practices this week in preparation for the first preseason game. Tagovailoa had an opportunity to interact with the quarterback the Dolphins desired over the last several years, including this past offseason.'
"We were talking on the side for a good bit. He was just asking how the offseason was," Tagovailoa said. "But for the most part, 23 years playing, that's a long time. That's a lot of knowledge, so I was asking him some things and he gave me some good insight on. I'm going to keep that between me and Tom. Then if you guys want to ask Tom, you can go ask him."
Tagovailoa is downplaying the interest in Brady, while head coach Mike McDaniel is viewing it as a thing of the past.'
"Nothing happened. Everyone else is the one making it awkward," McDaniel said. "As the Miami Dolphins, all of our energy is very coordinated and only has to do with us getting better and everything else would be an opportunity cost."
