Let's start with this. Boo Tua all you want.
Bua Tua. Boooooooo!
It's OK by me. If you pay for a preseason ticket to an NFL preseason game you should get to do a lot more than boo a former Dolphin. You have that right. You deserve that right.
So when I say that I don't think there's a need to boo Tua Tagovailoa in his return to Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night,
I'm not telling you what to do or not do. You do you. It's one opinion.Now that we've gotten that out of the way.
"I would just tell Joe (Schad) to shut up," popular WQAM host Joe Rose said on the popular Joe Rose Show regarding some of my to-boo-or-not-to-boo social posts.
Good content, Joe. I get it. I respect it. You're good at what you do.
But we do, after all, have a right to an opinion.
So here's mine:
- Tua Tagovailoa did not choose to be drafted 5th overall. In retrospect, he obviously should not have been. It was a mistake by former GM Chris Grier.
- Tua Tagovailoa did not choose to give himself a massive contract extension. In retrospect, he obviously should not have been. It was a mistake by.... well, you know.
- Tua Tagovailoa provided some memorable moments. A six-touchdown game. A seventy-point game. The Arizona game. No, he did not lead the team to a playoff victory. It was not good enough.
- Tua Tagovailoa was willing to risk injury for teammates and family. He could have retired due to repeated concussions. He did not. Tua literally said he was willing to die on the field. Should that be entirely dismissed?
It's always been important to me to listen to the fans. That's why I am so active in back-and-forths on social media.
Here is what I am hearing from many fans who seem as mad at me as Tua and Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel.
I have asked why the vitriol toward Tua, who was not long was the most popular Dolphins player since Dan Marino, Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas. Here is was I'm hearing:
- Fans felt turned off by Tua's comments such as: "It's not as easy as what it looked like sitting down on your couch eating chips." That was a big misstep. He could have just said: "It's not always as easy as it looks." Often mentioned was his post-signing joke about "show me the money" which well, sort of flopped in fans' eyes.
- Some fans felt Tua blamed teammates and lacked general accountability. Some felt Tua did not convey that winning was as important to him as it should have been. Some felt calling out teammates for skipping voluntary meetings - his attempt at leadership and accountability - was uncouth. Look, Tua lacked general awareness and communication savvy. That seems unquestioned.
- Some fans felt Tua was not always in peak physical condition. Some felt he was alternately too reckless or too skittish with his decisions. I will counter with an argument that his body let him down and his series of head injuries would be difficult for any athlete to navigate, especially a quarterback.
Fans are telling me they're going to boo Tua because of Miami's awful dead salary cap situation.
Is that more his fault or Grier's?
Fans are telling me Tua represents the failures of the Grier era.
Some of this stuff is pretty deep.
And I get that.
Hey @schadjoe Joe Rose has a message for you. “Shut Up” @JoeRoseShow pic.twitter.com/MjA25ylkem
— TonyH (@TonyH305) August 27, 2026
Miami hasn't won a playoff game in more than a quarter-century.
I'm often reminded I am not a fan and I respect that. I am not a fanatic, but I sure empathize and respect the pains of those who are.
So, I get it.
You are mad Tua Tagovailoa did not live up to your expectations. I will add that health is, in my opinion, the biggest reason. His body let him down.
You are mad that Chris Grier did not deliver a playoff win in 10 seasons as general manager.
And you're mad at me for suggesting reasons why it may not make the most sense to boo Tua.
Everyone is mad. And I hear you. I get it.
After Tua makes his return to Miami as an Atlanta Falcon ― and I suspect it will actually be a mix of boos, applause and silence ― we can all move on. Right?
Yeah, probably not.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins fans are mad as heck at Tua and plan to boo him. Here's why:
