“Would appreciate it if you kept my name outta your mouth!” Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa aggressively HITS BACK at Ryan Clark for fat-shaming him on live TV
Tua Tagovailoa has added a significant amount of weight to better withstand the hits from opposing defenders charging towards him.
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Tua Tagovailoa fired back at Ryan Clark for implying that the quarterback was not hitting the gym (Image via AP/ Miami Dolphisn)
Tua Tagovailoa has responded to Ryan Clark’s remarks, firing back after the ESPN NFL contributor suggested that the Miami Dolphins quarterback appears to have put on weight compared to last season.
Having experienced several concussions in consecutive games last season, Tagovailoa has committed himself to increasing his physicality. Given the challenges posed by opposing rushers during matchdays, quarterbacks often endure tough hits. Thus, players tend to put on a few extra pounds to better withstand such impacts.
However, footballer-turned-analyst Ryan Clark seems to have rubbed Tagovailoa the wrong way. In one of the recent segments of NFL Live, the 43-year-old praised the Miami signal-caller’s beefed-up physique, saying he “wasn’t in the gym” much during the offseason and looked “thick.”
On Wednesday, reporters brought up Clark’s observations to Tagovailoa after practice. The 25-year-old did not appreciate the retired football player’s words.
“Ryan’s been out of the league for some time,” he said. “It’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people. Then came the slight jab back at Clark. “I’d appreciate if you kept my name out your mouth.”
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Tua Tagovailoa lifted heavy weights and learned Jiu-Jitsu in the off-season
Injuries stalled Tua Tagovailoa’s third season with the Miami Dolphins. Besides learning to remember all the playcalling, the Alabama graduate has focused on his body during the off-season. In Clark’s eyes, he may appear to be out of shape, but for Tua, he is better than where he was last year.
He gained 10 pounds of excess muscle in the off-season and weighed around 227 pounds. “Everything that I did this offseason entailed what would keep me on the field for the entirety of the season,” he revealed. “It’s football. It’s a physical sport. I did the best that I could to get myself ready.”
When asked what sort of training he underwent, Tagovailoa said, “Just a lot of heavier weights and a lot more reps.” On top of that, he has been busy learning how to evade players so that he can fall less.
“I’ve been falling a lot this offseason,” he said, as per ESPN. Quarterbacks rarely see much contact during training camps, OTAs, or even joint training sessions. When the regular season rolls around, things change very quickly as the opposition players ram in. Learning martial arts has helped him train his body so that when the time comes, he doesn’t get hammered like last year.
“I’ve been put in many uncomfortable positions for me to learn how to fall,” Tagovailoa added. “I’ve been thrown airborne.” He will be tested once more when the Dolphins face the Los Angeles Chargers on September 11th.
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Ishan Misra
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