Tagovailoa Shows Maturity in Calling Out Tyreek Hill

Tagovailoa Shows Maturity in Calling Out Tyreek Hill

Earlier this week, it seemed like for the first time we as a fan base saw the maturation process come full circle for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

When asked about what happened at the end of last season with Tyreek Hill, where he left the field early in a loss to the Jets, Tagovailoa said, “You don’t just come back like that with ‘Hey, my bad'”.

Finally.

That is the type of leadership that the team needs from its star quarterback.

For far too long, it seemed that Tagovailoa was afraid to ruffle feathers in the locker room when he was in the midst of his rookie contract.

At the time, too, there were other veteran leaders who could handle that kind of behavior in Terron Armstead and Calais Campbell.

But now, both are gone.

In their absence, Tagovailoa did the right thing by sending a message to Hill and, most importantly, the rest of the team, that the sixth-year quarterback wants to win.

It aligns with the team’s perceived mindset of holding each other accountable, both on and off the field.

There were countless stories from last year’s roster of players showing up late to practices and meetings and not being punished for their mistake.

While head coach Mike McDaniel could always say something, it means more when a peer challenges one of their fellow players.

That is why this statement from Tagovailoa is so important.

He is showing that no one is above the team.

If he can call out Hill, arguably the best player on the team and still one of the best players in the entire league, then everyone should be able to do their job and take accountability for their own actions.

It was a strong statement from Tagovailoa.

But a time where the Dolphins are trying to establish a new culture, it was an important statement.