Oh slap! Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa responded to ESPN's Ryan Clark's criticism in Oscar awards-stopping fashion -- well, without the actual physical assault.
Yesterday on NFL Live, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark went on a demeaning rant about Tagovailoa's appearance and attitude accusing Tagovailoa of gaining too much weight and being "heavy"; Clark also said the quarterback was "built like the girls working at Onyx [a strip club] right now."
That was one of the more creative insults out there, but essentially, Clark was fat-shaming Tagovailoa, and the Dolphins star did not appreciate it.
After training camp practice on Wednesday, Tagovailoa told Clark a la Will Smith: "Keep my name out your mouth."
He also said Clark's verbal attack felt "weird" and that he thought he and his team all worked hard throughout the offseason.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa silences Ryan Clark
Clark has since clarified that his comments on Tagovailoa were a "joke" and that he would have said it directly to the quarterback's face if prompted. The joke, if you can call it that, didn't seem very funny to people on X (formerly known as Twitter), where quite a few Dolphins fans probably felt like slapping Clark in the face.
In his last three years in the league, Tagovailoa hasn't yet recorded a full season; the most games he's played in a single season is 13.
His up-and-down health status may have inspired Clark to grab the low-hanging fruit and body-shame him. However, as seen in the two concussions he suffered last season, some absences were just out of Tagovailoa's control.
The Dolphins quarterback reportedly weighed 225 pounds at the end of July, eight pounds heavier than he was during the 2022 season. This offseason, Tagovailoa has been participating in a weight-training program as well as practicing jiu-jitsu to learn how to better protect himself when he falls.
Silencing Clark the way he did sets a competitive edge for the Dolphins' upcoming season, one that should feature plenty of hits, tackles, and stiff-arms -- just no slaps.
