Mike Wallace decided he'd rather watch the last half of the regular season from the sideline, instead of playing in the season finale for the Miami Dolphins. According to Jeff Darlington of NFL Network, Wallace told Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin just before halftime that he no longer wanted to play in the Week 17 game against the New York Jets.
Mike Wallace told Dolphins he didn’t want to play, per report
Wallace didn’t play in the second half of the season finale for the Dolphins because he didn’t want to.
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With Wallace on the field, the Dolphins earned a 17-14 lead with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to Charles Clay. That was the last play for Wallace, who reportedly then told Philbin that he was done for the day.
On Monday, Wallace told Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald that he never asked out of the game and that it was a “coaches decision” that sent him to the sidelines.
With Wallace watching from the sideline, the Dolphins extended that lead to 24-14 with a 97-yard touchdown run by Lamar Miller to begin the second half, but the Jets scored 23 unanswered to cruise to a 37-24 victory.
After the game, Wallace didn't explain his actions and instead had wide receiver Brandon Gibson speak for him as a spokesperson. Gibson, speaking as Wallace, said that the receiver expects to be back with the Dolphins in 2015. Wallace, speaking for himself on Monday, said the same.
Wallace will count more than $12 million against the salary cap of the Dolphins in 2015, two years after he signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the team in 2013. If released, Wallace would account for $9.6 million of dead money against the team’s cap in 2015.
In two seasons with the Dolphins, Wallace has tallied 140 receptions for 1,792 yards with 15 touchdowns.
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