National Football League

Tyreek Hill, Mike McDaniel have different takes on missing ping-pong table

Published Oct. 14, 2022 2:44 p.m. ET

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To ping-pong or not to ping-pong.

That is the question that has Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and wide receiver Tyreek Hill telling different stories about why the ping-pong table in the team's locker room is currently missing.

McDaniel announced on Wednesday that the Dolphins team captains had the table removed. He then praised the captains for their leadership, telling the media that he thought the team was eliminating a potential distraction to better focus on their opponents.

But on Thursday, one of those captains revealed a completely different angle on ping-pong gate. Hill said that the table was removed because it had gotten bent – and he ordered a custom-built one to keep the tournament going.

According to ESPN, Dolphins players had been in the midst of a ping-pong tournament for the past several weeks, including during their recent two-game losing streak.

McDaniel took a diplomatic approach when asked about Hill's quote on Friday.

"It's the players' locker room. If they giveth, they can taketh away and regiveth," the rookie head coach said, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Regardless of the reasoning, it does not appear that the ping-pong table will be ready to go by the time the Dolphins face the Minnesota Vikings at home at 10 a.m. ET Sunday on FOX. Neither will starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. 

After a 3-0 start vaulted Miami to the top of the NFC East, the Dolphins lost Tagovailoa to a concussion in a Thursday Night Football contest against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. The Dolphins eventually fell to Cincinnati without Tagovailoa, then got blown out by the New York Jets the following week while also losing backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to concussion protocol. 

Peter Schrager discusses Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa's injury and the impact of concussions on the NFL | FOX NFL Kickoff

Peter Schrager discusses Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa's injury and the impact of concussions on the football during 'FOX NFL Kickoff.'

Tagovailoa returned to practice this week, but McDaniel has said that third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson, a rookie out of Kansas State, will receive his first career start while the Dolphins' star gets back up to speed.

Can the Dolphins right the ship against the 4-1 Vikings? Let's see how the ping pong balls roll.

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Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill

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Tua Tagovailoa