Dolphins' Mike McDaniel addresses Tua Tagovailoa-Ryan Clark controversy

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel defended Tua Tagovailoa a day after the quarterback offered a strong response to comments previously made by former player and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark. 

"He’s taken his nutrition to another level," McDaniel said about Tagovailoa, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "He’s taken his commitment to what he’s trying to do and really thought outside the box and really, really worked at it, so I couldn’t be happier with the work that he’s put in and what I’ve factually viewed from my own eyes...We are getting the absolute best version of Tua that’s existed." 

Retired quarterback Michael Vick was among those who suggested this offseason that Tagovailoa should "bulk up a little bit" in an attempt to stay healthy after a minimum of two reported concussions the 25-year-old suffered last season nearly threatened his career. However, Clark commented earlier this week that the 2020 first-round draft pick is now "thick" and "built like a girl working at Onyx [Gentleman’s Club] in Atlanta right on the bottom."

Tagovailoa responded on Wednesday and said he "would appreciate it" if his name remained out of Clark's mouth. Clark later apologized via social media and insisted he made a "bad joke." 

McDaniel wasn't laughing on Thursday. 

"...You want to talk about every metric that [strength and conditioning coach] Dave Puloka and his strength staff really track, which is pretty much everything to the degree of blinks, every metric of strength that is measured, he’s shattered his previous highs," McDaniel said about Tagovailoa. "And in some instances, he’s almost twice as strong with things and that’s been a daily commitment that he hasn’t wavered from." 

Nothing about the events of this week will erase any understandable concerns members of the NFL community have about Tagovailoa's ability to stay healthy for an entire season. By most accounts, though, it's unfair to question Tagovailoa's dedication to the cause, and Clark received quite the reminder about that fact ahead of the upcoming regular season.