Mike McDaniel is cracking down on tardy players after a recent spat of players being late to multiple team meetings.
The Miami Dolphins were one of several teams that had a disappointing 2024 NFL season. Miami finished the regular season with a record of 8-9 and barely missed making the playoffs. The Dolphins dealt with a ton of adversity, including a scary concussion suffered by QB Tua Tagovailoa that caused him to miss multiple weeks.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is cracking down on tardy players. McDaniel said on Tuesday that he fined players multiple times for being late this season. However, he believes that the current punitive system is “not enough” and said changes will be needed moving forward.
“I think it's important that you let guys know that we're at the point in our team where guys are firmly aware of the expectations,” McDaniel said per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. “And if your actions continually lead to final offenses that you're telling me without words that you don't want to be here. So, I think it's very clear — I think it's not an indictment necessarily of all [players], but we are subject to everyone's actions as a football team, so we'll address those as such.”
The team chemistry in Miami is under a spotlight after a disastrous end to the 2024 season. Tyreek Hill did not help matters by suggesting that the wanted a trade during a postgame interview.
Louis-Jacques reported that multiple Dolphins players have alluded to unspecified teammates being repeatedly late to team meetings.
It would make sense that some players would be mentally checked out of the 2024 season. That said, it is clear that McDaniel will not tolerate this type of behavior moving forward.
Dolphins' Mike McDaniel issued warning to Tyreek Hill after leaving early during Week 18
McDaniel also had a chance to weigh in on the Tyreek Hill of it all on Tuesday.
McDaniel had a one-hour meeting with Hill during which he addressed his actions during Week 18. Hill made headlines for leaving the field before the end of the game.
During that conversation, McDaniel explained to Hill that his behavior from Week 18 cannot happen again.
“I told him it’s unacceptable to leave a game and won’t be tolerated in the future,” McDaniel said. He noted that Hill embraced accountability during their conversation. “There’s nothing to fix in the relationship, but we needed to clear the air.”
Dolphins GM Chris Grier also had a conversation with Hill. Grier told the media that Hill never asked for a trade with him, per NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe.
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