Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Didn’t Take Ryan Clark’s Joke Too Kindly

Ryan Clark made a couple of jokes at Tua Tagovailoa’s expense on ESPN’s “NFL Live” on Tuesday, and the Miami Dolphins quarterback responded Wednesday.

The analyst joked Tagovailoa “wasn’t in the gym, I’ll bet you that. 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 added the Dolphins QB was “thick” and compared him to women working at a strip club, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.

Clark apologized for his jokes on social media Tuesday, but Tagovailoa had his response.

“He probably knows more about me than I know about myself. I don’t know, Ryan’s been out of the league for some time,” Tagovailoa told reporters, per video from Pro Football Network’s Adam Beasley. “I don’t know, it’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people when they’re not that person. Just a little weird. I come from a Samoan family, respect is everything. But it does get to a point where, ‘Hey, a little easy on that,’ because I think we’re pretty tough-minded people. If we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy, just saying.”

Clark agreed Wednesday with a past social media post that was brought back by “Freezing Cold Takes” when he said it was “stupid” for coaches and players to answer questions about what an analyst said on TV. While there is merit to that argument, one also would have to ask who the analysis is for.

But there are others who hold a similar position that Clark has and have a similar platform that is willing to call out players in a serious tone, which speaks to Tagovailoa pointing out how common it is for analysts to talk about players as if they know them.

Jokes also are meant to be funny, and there seemed to be very few who were laughing, including Tagovailoa.

I don’t know, it’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people when they’re not that person.

Tagovailoa on the pundits like Clark

“I’m not one to talk about myself the entire time but I mean, it takes a lot,” Tagovailoa said, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “You think I wanted to build all this muscle? Like, I wanted to be a little lighter. There’s a mixture of things that people don’t understand, that people don’t know about, that are talked about behind the scenes.

“So, you know, I’d appreciate it if you kept my name out your mouth. That’s what I’d say.”

There likely won’t be anything that comes from this. The New England Patriots know how hard Tagovailoa works and will prepare to face off against the Dolphins in Week 2 at Gillette Stadium. And Clark and other TV personalities will continue to say things and blame others for not being in on their own entertainment.