The Miami Dolphins were slapped with a punishment on Tuesday after they were found to have tampered with Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady and then-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. The franchise's owner, Stephen Ross, has been suspended through October 17 while the team was stripped of two future draft selections. Naturally, incumbent starter Tua Tagovailoa was asked about the Brady situation, as the team allegedly committed the tampering acts during his tenure as the Dolphins starter. One reporter asked about Tagovailoa's standing with the team. Here's his response, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.
Tua Tagovailoa was asked about the Dolphins’ interest in Tom Brady both in 2019 and after the 2021 season. His response here:
“I think the team is all in with me” pic.twitter.com/oI8JbB6xQn
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) August 3, 2022
Tua Tagovailoa said that he thinks “the team is all in with him.” It would naturally be easy for someone like Tagovailoa to be looking over his shoulder, especially with the Dolphins throwing all caution to the wind in their pursuit of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
However, the Dolphins' former first-round pick seems unfazed by it all. As Tagovailoa said, he's still here. He's still the starting quarterback for the franchise.
Despite the confidence he does have, this is something of a prove-it year for Tagovailoa, who has yet to live up to the expectations that come with being a fifth overall pick in an NFL Draft.
With new weapons around him, such as former Kansas City Chiefs speedster Tyreek Hill, there is renewed confidence that the Dolphins third-year pro can make that leap.
Who knows? Maybe this whole tampering situation with Tom Brady lights a fire under Tua Tagovailoa. That would be the best-case scenario for the Dolphins.