Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has left fans baffled after providing a surprisingly morbid answer in a press conference.
Late last month, McDaniel corrected a reporter after seemingly being greeted with ‘good morning’ – before explaining the dark reason that it was actually a ‘great morning.’
‘You should stand corrected – good morning? False, great morning, let’s go,’ he said.
Asked what was so ‘great’ about that morning, the coach answered: ‘Because we’re another day closer to death.’
McDaniel’s quip resulted in some laughs from the reporters present, while fans online were taken aback by the remark after it surfaced on social media on Monday.
‘Outlook seems optimistic in Miami,’ one said on X.
Mike McDaniel said it was a ‘great morning’ last month because ‘we’re another day closer to death.’
McDaniel is looking to win his first playoff game as the Dolphins’ head coach
‘Just like me on a Monday,’ another quipped.
‘Appropriate reaction to being associated with this cursed franchise,’ a third cracked.
And a fourth said: ‘The latest graduate from the Joe Mazzulla School of Communications,’ comparing McDaniel to the famously dry Celtics coach.
McDaniel is in a pivotal offseason as Dolphins coach after his team missed the postseason last year.
That occurred in large part due to more injury woes for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed six games due to concussion and hip issues.
The passer, who was hosted by Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, was urged by the president to ‘stay healthy’ and McDaniel echoed those comments afterward.
‘If I was concerned about how serious he was taking his part in staying healthy, I think he got an executive order last night to stay healthy, if I’m not mistaken,’ McDaniel told NFL Network over the weekend.
‘He then praised his quarterback, adding: ‘It’s been cool to watch him really evolve into who he is on the national stage but more so, really in his own skin, be the true leader of the team.
‘It’s real and authentic and all he’s done is – in a ton of noise – focus on the right stuff. So there’s a lot of things that go into staying healthy but first and foremost you have to front-end prioritize and really acknowledge what you mean to the team,’ the coach continued.
‘And, like in years past, he lives and embraces “control-ables” and is not afraid of any work. So guys respond to him.’
The Dolphins begin their season on September 7 at the Colts.
