Minnesota Vikings’ Brian Flores wants to ‘grow’ after Tua Tagovailoa criticism

By CNN Newsource

Published August 21, 2024 2:26 AM

By Ben Church and Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) — Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has said he wants to “grow” after he was labeled a “terrible person” by his former player Tua Tagovailoa.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback made the comments during an interview that aired on Monday as he outlined the difference between Flores’ coaching and his current head coach, Mike McDaniel.

“Look, I’m human. So that hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me,” Flores told reporters Tuesday.

“At the same time, I’ve got to use that and say ‘Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better?’

“Do I feel like that’s me? No. But how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case that anyone says about Brian Flores?”

Now going into his second season as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, Flores was the head coach of the Dolphins when Tagovailoa was drafted with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The pair spent two years together in Miami, with Tagovailoa playing in 23 games, throwing for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. During that period, the quarterback struggled with injuries and consistency. The Dolphins missed the playoffs in both seasons.

“[If] you have a terrible person that’s telling you things that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself,” Tagovailoa told the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” referring to Flores.

Flores ‘genuinely happy’ for Tagovailoa

Flores was fired in January 2022 after three seasons with the team and was replaced by McDaniel. Since then, Tagovailoa has excelled.

Last season, Tagovailoa started all 17 games for the first time in his career, leading the NFL with 4,264 passing yards, completing 69.3 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Miami has made the playoffs in the two seasons with McDaniel holding the reins.

Tagovailoa recently agreed to a four-year contract extension, reportedly worth $212.4 million.

“I’m genuinely happy for the success that Tua [Tagovailoa] has had and I really wish him nothing but the best,” Flores added.

“Player relationships are very important to me. I think that’s kind of the foundation of coaching. I got into coaching because I was impacted as a young guy by my high school coaches, my college coaches.

“I got into coaching because I want to make that same kind of impact, positive impact, pour into young people, help them become […] the best versions of themselves. That’s really always my goal in coaching.”