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Since the Miami Dolphins played in the NFL’s first regular-season International Series game in London in 2007 against the New York Giants, they’ve made multiple overseas appearances, returning to London several times and later playing in Germany and, most recently, Spain, for this past Sunday’s 16-13 overtime win against the Washington Commanders.
With Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel telling the media before the Madrid matchup that the franchise is interested in securing a long-term arrangement with an international stadium to host regular games, the question now becomes which country will ultimately emerge as the much-traveled, internationally popular Dolphins’ unofficial second home.
Against that backdrop, Tua Tagovailoa was asked an easy, quarterback-sneak series of postgame questions about his experience playing overseas, including which European city he might like to visit next.
Having already checked off Frankfurt and Madrid from the list, Tua offered an answer anticipated by precisely no one.
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“Shoot, it’d be pretty cool to go play in Jerusalem,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “I don’t know — that’d be sick.”
‘All Glory Belongs to God’
Dating all the way back to his college days at Alabama, Tagovailoa has made no secret of his Christian faith. In fact, he almost never misses an opportunity to credit his Creator for his gridiron success.
Incoming!
Not surprisingly, the social media commentariat was quick to pipe up. Putting aside the Geography 101 fact that Israel is located in the Middle East region of Asia, not Europe, the comment did not sit well with many, especially in light of the ongoing Israel–Palestine conflict and the tense political atmosphere in the United States.
The backlash extended to former Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills, who shared the clip on X.
“Lacks awareness in all areas of his life,” he ventured.
Another X account, @HaterReport_, shared the clip with its 200K followers, deeming Tua’s comment to be the latest example that the Phins quarterback’s “BRAIN NEEDS TO BE STUDIED.”
And so it was that what should have been a feel-good storyline about the Dolphins fighting their way back from the brink turned into a discussion about international diplomacy and the unlikely possibility of the NFL planting an Any Given Sunday flag in the ancient and perennially provocative holy city.
It should go without saying that the NFL will not be visiting Israel anytime soon. Which brings up a larger issue concerning Tua this season: Common sense and his mouth don’t seem to be on the same page. (And yes, the same could be said for the team as a whole.)
Regardless of how “sick” Tua thinks the notion would be, an NFL game in Israel is about as likely as snow in Miami. Jerusalem is home to only two stadiums that seat more than 30,000 people. The largest, Teddy Stadium, seats 31,733.
The NFL has never staged an international game at a venue that small. Logistically, financially, and politically, the league is unlikely to consider Jerusalem under any circumstances, let alone in the middle of an ongoing military conflict.
That didn’t stop one user on X from hopping on Tagovailoa’s bandwagon, declaring, “A[n] NFL game at Teddy Stadium would be electric!… The Jew-haters, of course, would throw a major fit, but an NFL game in Israel should totally be considered!”
And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Finxiety
A shame, because off-the-turf insanity aside, Miami fans were treated to a second straight week of Jaylen Waddle leaving the field proclaiming, “Phins for the Win.” And wins, regardless of how ugly they come, matter.
It’s the TMZ-style step-in-your-own-dirty-diaper off the field that the Phins seem to do anything but win at.
As with Tua’s previous head-scratchers, the news cycle will delete the Dolphins quarterback’s bizarro-world utterance and focus on football. With victories in three of their last four games, Miami is — as the franchise annually is, until it isn’t — in the playoff hunt.
At 4–7, the path to the postseason isn’t as far-fetched as it was a month ago. A bye-week reset, followed by two soft matchups against the two-win New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, gives the Dolphins a shot.
