Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa fires back at ESPN's Ryan Clark for absurd remarks
ESPN's Ryan Clark stuck his foot in his mouth with some unprofessional comments earlier this week on NFL Live in which he all but outright said that Tua Tagovailoa hasn't been following his training regimen and is…well…fat. Tua did not take the former Steelers safety's words very lightly on Wednesday. The fourth-year quarterback had a […]
ESPN's Ryan Clark stuck his foot in his mouth with some unprofessional comments earlier this week on NFL Live in which he all but outright said that Tua Tagovailoa hasn't been following his training regimen and is…well…fat.
Tua did not take the former Steelers safety's words very lightly on Wednesday.
The fourth-year quarterback had a lot to say when asked by the local media about Clark's comments.
"He probably knows more about me than I know about myself," Tua said. "Ryan's been out of the league for some time. It's a little weird when other people are talking about other people when they're not that person. It's just a little weird. I come from a Samoan family. Respect is everything, but it does get to a point where, hey, a little easy on that, buddy. I think we're pretty tough-minded people, and if we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy, too."
"I think we all worked hard throughout the offseason," Tua continued. "And I'm not one to talk about myself the entire time, but it takes a lot. You think I wanted to build all of this muscle? Nah. 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 would appreciate it if you kept my name out of your mouth. That's what I'd say."
It was a strong and fair response to Clark's criticism about Tua's offseason training regimen and his physique, which Clark likened to that of a dancer at an exotic Atlanta club.
Tua's training regimen and size and strength gains have been documented to anyone who has bothered to pay a shred of attention to the Dolphins over the offseason. It appears everyone except who ESPN is paying to cover the NFL knew that. Or perhaps he did, and he thought it was a good opportunity to try to fat shame a guy with muscle, which is also very weird and factually off base.
Either way, it's obvious that Clark stepped in a mess, and Tua's not ready to let him clean his shoes off yet.
Tua’s fascinating offseason hobby could help save his career
Many uncertainties still lie ahead for Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa suffered three concussions during the 2022 regular season, but his new offseason hobby could help prolong his career. Tua’s scorching hot start to his 2022 campaign landed him at the center of the MVP conversation. Unfortunately head injuries derailed Tua’s third year in […]
Featured image via JEFF ROMANCE/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK
