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When the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores on Monday morning, the shock around the league was palpable, especially considering the outpouring of support that he received from his former Dolphins players. With Dolphins ownership seeming inept at times, this was being chalked up to yet another Miami blunder.
Im Sick Af 😭
— Nik Needham (@FOETYY) January 10, 2022
Not every single player spoke up for Flores, however, and two of them were former receiver Kenny Stills and current starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa has infamously had a rocky relationship with Flores, and, now, details are starting to emerge about why. According to Stills and others involved with the Dolphins, Flores played favorites when it came to players and Tua was never one of “his guys.”
The tension has only gotten worse between the two as it had become increasingly clear that Flores was the driving force behind the Dolphins' odd pursuance of embattled Houston Texans superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson. When Flores was let go, Stills took to Twitter and attempted to explain why he would not want to play for Flores again:
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Respect Flo as a coach. Idk about the other shit he was on. https://t.co/8j3wSDa9N0
— Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS) January 11, 2022
The “other s*it” that Stills is referring to are the rumors that Flores was the one who was having Tua tested for PEDs multiple times during the season because he didn't believe that his body transformation was natural. There was also the heated halftime argument between Flores and Tagovailoa from a game earlier this season and the incident from October when Tua's trainer called Flores out. Tagovailoa never came to his coach's defense after those tweets were released. Although the trainer deleted them, the damage had been done. Flores had been called out for his antics and the cat was out of the bag.
In Flores' defense, as a disciple of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, he was likely just trying to emulate his mentor and be extremely tough on players. The difference is, Belichick has won six rings as a head coach and treats everyone the same — badly. Flores has won zero championships as a head coach and has been treating some players differently than others. That is not going to fly in a locker room full of grown men with families. If he wants to continue working in the NFL, he will have to adjust his approach to allow for more inclusivity. At one point during the season, Tua could be heard yelling “you can't treat people this way” to Flores, and perhaps that quote sums up why Flores was ultimately let go.
There is a good chance that Flores will get another job as a head coach based on his defensive success over the years, but if you judge him off of his leadership style in Miami, he is probably better suited to be a defensive coordinator or a college head coach. His motivational tactics and defensive schemes have led to some of the greatest game plans over the past half-decade. Flores' teams in Miami — no matter who they have had available — have been a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the ball, and that dates back to his days in New England. He devotes his life to his craft and is a genius in that aspect. His defensive intellect is not the issue, however, and maybe this was the kick in the pants that Flores needed to realize that.
