New Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel takes over a team that won eight of its last nine games but still fired its head coach.
And then that former head coach, Brian Flores, named the Dolphins in a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and that owner Stephen Ross offered $100,000 for losses in the 2019 season in order to secure the highest possible draft pick.
With McDaniel being introduced to the local media on Thursday, the first question of the head coach’s press conference was if there were any “red flags” that he had to resolve before accepting the job.
McDaniel answered with a definitive, “No.”
“Red flags? I can honestly say there were absolutely no red flags,” McDaniel said. “And the reason why is, I was stepping into an organization with a boss that I don’t think people give it its proper due. Stephen Ross, there’s a lot of people in sports who are out to make money. And I can’t lie, I feel like if I spent a lot of money, I’d want to make a lot of money. But, like I said, when I walked in that door — you look at every single detail within this building, you look at the people that are hired … there is no cost too high for winning for him. And when you’re in multiple organizations, you realize that’s not always the case.
“The City of Miami really is lucky to have an owner that right, wrong, or indifferent, all he cares about is winning. And as a coach, that’s all you are literally looking for — that’s all. So red flags? No, there’s no red flags for me.”
While there could be consequences for Ross and the Dolphins pending the league’s investigation of the tanking allegations, McDaniel will still have to coach Miami to as many wins as possible. He appears confident he’ll be able to do so in the club’s current environment.