Brian Flores attempt to apologize to Tua Tagovailoa goes horribly wrong

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hasn't shied away from his disdain for his ex-head coach -- Brian Flores.

Recently appearing on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Tagovailoa was unfiltered in his brutally honest takedown of Flores.

Tagovailoa called Flores a "terrible person," highlighting their rocky relationship during their two-year overlap in Miami in 2020 and 2021. Overall, it sounded like a toxic work environment for all parties involved at the time, including fellow Dolphins members. Perhaps nothing further validates that notion than the latter's response to the Dolphins gunslinger going scorched earth on him.

"I'm genuinely, genuinely happy for the success that Tua [Tagovailoa] has had," Flores told reporters, "and I really wish him nothing but the best.

It's nice to hear Flores preface his statement by speaking positively of Tagovailoa. Nevertheless, he didn't deny anything concerning the assassination of his character. Instead, the now-Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator essentially doubled down on his shortcomings.

"I think part of coaching is correction," Flores stated via ESPN's Kevin Seifert. "I'm always going to correct. I'm always going to have a high standard. And I think, look, I've done a lot of reflecting on the situation, reflecting on the situation and communication. I think there's things that I could do better for sure, and I've grown in that way," he added.

Brian Flores' attempt to apologize to Tua Tagovailoa goes horribly wrong

Flores taking accountability for his actions is admirable, though it made his comments sound less like an apology and more like an admission of guilt.

Despite the mostly oblivious reaction to Tagovailoa publicly bashing him, Flores confessed that the slander waned on him:

"Look, I'm human. So that hit me in a way that wasn't ... positive for me. But at the same time, I've got to use that and say, 'Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better?' And that's really where I'm at from that standpoint. Do I feel like that's me? No. But how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that's not the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores?"

Ultimately, Tagovailoa now plays for a coach who believes in him in Mike McDaniel while Flores is in Minnesota. Still, there's seemingly no love lost between the 26-year-old signal-caller and his former superior based on their latest dialogue through the media.