Even before the latest Brian Flores bombshell that dropped with his lawsuit against the NFL, there was news of friction between him and young Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

There were reports that the former Dolphins head coach had been vocal against drafting Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft, instead favoring Justin Herbert, who went one pick later to the Los Angeles Chargers.

With Tagovailoa on board, the two eventually made it work and had two winning seasons together in Miami before Brian Flores was eventually let go.

In a recent interview with I Am Athlete, Flores opened up about the narrative that there was tension between him and Tua Tagovailoa.

“This is an interesting topic,” said Flores on his relationship with the Dolphins QB. “Because it wasn't strained.”

“I think we had a good relationship. It was a player-coach relationship. And I think in a relationship like that, the coach challenges the player, and often times the player challenges the coach. I think there was a great deal of respect between the two of us. So you hear this crazy kind of narrative that’s out there, but this is a young man who works, developed, and got better over two years and I think he’s got a bright future.”

Brian Flores has major beef with his former employer, but the man has nothing but respect for his former quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa.