Tua Tagovailoa reflects on previous comments regarding Tyreek Hill’s infamous “I’m out” statement ahead of Dolphins’ 2025 season
Tua Tagovailoa has been known to be a soft-spoken leader at times, which is why he surprised many by calling for Tyreek Hill to change ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ 2025 season. Tagovailoa has since doubled down on his comments, but made it known that he was not criticizing his teammate as much as he was “holding him accountable.”
Tagovailoa’s previous statement urged Hill to focus on repairing his relationships in the locker room after his infamous “I’m out” statement at the end of the 2024 season. The quarterback recently affirmed that he is simply holding Hill to the Dolphins “standard” that “nobody is exempt from,” he said on the NFL Network.
“I don’t feel it’s me talking bad about my teammate,” Tagovailoa said, via NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe. “I’m just trying to hold him accountable, because that’s what we’re trying to do with everybody on our team. And if this is what we say the standard is, then that’s what the standard is. Nobody’s exempt from it.”
Expand TweetAs dynamic a player as he is, Hill cannot avoid controversy and drama off the field. Tagovailoa specifically referred to Hill bluntly stating that he was “out” on the Dolphins after their 2024 season-ending loss to the New York Jets. Hill rescinded the comments a few weeks later and brushed them off due to frustration over missing the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Since then, Hill has only found himself in even more trouble in his personal life. The 31-year-old was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife, Keeta Vaccaro Hill, that caused police to respond. Vaccaro filed for divorce just days later.
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While dealing with an influx of injuries, the Dolphins went just 8-9 in 2024, ending with their first losing record since the 2019 season. The letdown season resulted in down years for nearly every player across the board, including Tagovailoa, Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
With Tagovailoa back and presumably fully healthy, the Dolphins expect to return to title contention in 2025. They lost a few notable names in the offseason, but also gained several others. Miami most shockingly managed to lure tight end Darren Waller out of retirement and acquired him in a trade with the New York Giants.
The Dolphins are in a prime position to start the year off strong. They open the season with two matchups against vulnerable teams, facing the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 and the New England Patriots in Week 2.