One of the primary storylines in the NFL as of late has been the Tua Tagovailoa-Ryan Clark media conversation. Clark called out Tagovailoa for not looking his best and even accused the Miami Dolphins QB of not consistently hitting the gym during the offseason. This drew a response from Tagovailoa, something that caught the attention of Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill.

“I don't think we've ever seen that side right there,” Hill said of Tagovailoa, via Jori Epstein of YahooSports. “That's the side I love right there. That fires me up.”

Hill added that Tagovailoa has “definitely come out of his shell.”

For those who missed the drama, here is a recap of what specifically occurred between Clark and the Dolphins star QB.

Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa fires back at Ryan Clark

Clark initially made headlines by calling out Tagovailoa during an ESPN segment.

“Let me tell you what he wasn’t doing: He wasn’t in the gym, I’ll bet you that,” Clark said on NFL Live, via The Palm Beach Post. “He might spend a lot of time in the tattoo parlor. He was not at the dinner table eating what the nutritionist had advised. He looks ‘happy,’ he is thick, he’s built like the girls working at Onyx right now.”

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Tagovailoa ultimately responded with a direct message.

“I would appreciate it if you kept my name out of your mouth,” the Dolphins quarterback said, via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel also stood up for Tagovailoa following Clark's criticism.

In the end, Tagovailoa is an extremely talented player who battled concussion concerns throughout the 2022 season. He's worked hard to return and keep his NFL career alive, as some wondered if he'd even play football again amid his injury problems. Clark's comments were surprising, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Tyreek Hill, however, is loving Tagovailoa's willingness to stand up for himself.