Mike McDaniel clarifies Al Michaels’ story on meeting his wife: “I was painted out to be kind of a d-bag”

During the Miami Dolphins-New York Jets game, the broadcast team featuring Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit spoke about how Miami coach Mike McDaniels met his wife.

McDaniels met his wife, Katie, at a nightclub and reportedly threatened one of his former player’s job security if he didn't stop dancing with her. That was according to Michaels, who during the broadcast, painted McDaniel to be a "d-bag," according to the coach on Monday.

“Mike says, 'Listen, you’re not dancing with her anymore or you’re not playing with this team next year,’" Michaels said on the broadcast. "So, the guy says, ‘What can I do?’ So, then, McDaniel starts dancing with her. ... The bottom line, where am I leading? Four years later, they’re married. Katie. That’s how he met her. 'Hey, you, get off, I’m dancing with her.'”

On Monday, McDaniel, speaking with a smile on his face, gave his side of the story.

“I feel like I was painted out to be kind of a d-bag, and it wasn’t like that at all," McDaniel said. "It was all niceties. It was a cool, light-hearted story that I felt, like, took a turn. I would say the skeleton of the story is correct, but there’s a couple of important caveats.

"First of all, the perceived threat that I made to a player was over the top, a joke, considering both he and I knew that as a running back coach, I had no ability to say if he was there or not. It was more in jest. And then second of all, my wife was telling me that people were talking about me stealing people’s girls. The dude had met her for 45 seconds.”

Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins enjoyed a 34-13 win over the New York Jets on Black Friday

Mike McDaniel during Miami Dolphins versus Kansas City Chiefs

As the broadcast team spilled the beans of how Mike McDaniel met his wife, his Miami Dolphins cruised past the New York Jets on Black Friday 34-13.

With the win, the Dolphins (8-3) sit atop the AFC. Meanwhile, the second-place Buffalo Bills dropped to 6-6 following their 37-34 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12.

Friday's game between the Dolphins and the Jets also happened to be the first game played on Black Friday in NFL history. It was quite the Black Friday for Mike McDaniel in 2023, to say the least.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Mike McDaniel and The New York Post, and H/T Sportskeeda