Brian Flores, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, acknowledged on Tuesday that the criticism from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who called him a "terrible person," had an impact on him but said he is ready to learn and improve.

"I'm human, and it affected me in a way that wasn't positive. But at the same time, I have to use it and say, 'How can I grow from this? How can I get better? Is that really who I am?'" Flores, now the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, explained.

Tagovailoa, the Dolphins' starting quarterback, recently stated that during the two seasons he was coached by Flores, he felt undervalued and unappreciated.

"If a terrible person says things to you that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t hear, you start to believe that about yourself. That happened. It took two years of training to get over that, not just for me, but for several guys who have been here since my rookie year," Tua said about his time under Flores, who coached him in 2020 and 2021.

On Tuesday, Flores addressed the comments in a Vikings press conference, expressing his willingness to talk with Tagovailoa and clarify that everything he did during his time with the Dolphins was meant to bring out the best in his players.

"I think part of coaching is correcting, and I’m always going to correct to uphold a high standard. I’ve reflected a lot on the situation, the communication; I think there are things I could have done better, and I’ve grown in that regard," Flores said.

Brian Flores served as the head coach of the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021, posting a 24-25 record. Despite leading the team to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003, he was dismissed after the 2021 season. He then joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive assistant in 2022 before becoming the defensive coordinator for the Vikings last year.