Miami‘s preseason opener came with a real teaching moment for one of its young running backs. Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley pulled running back Ollie Gordon II off the field Friday night after Gordon flipped the ball at a Washington Commanders defender following a play, and Hafley made sure the message landed.

“When I pulled him out, I’m not going to tell you exactly what I said, but it was a chance for me to look him in the eye and let him know that was not OK. I had to take him out and he had to learn his lesson,” Hafley said, per the Miami Herald.

“If you are going to have a standard, there has to be consequences. Our standard is we’re not going to do things to put our team in jeopardy and have post-snap fouls where we toss a ball at a guy.”

Gordon got a chance to get some reps in the preseason clash against the Commanders. He recorded 7 carries for 39 yards before being taken out, and was successful in breaking tackles, finding room in open space throughout the game. That included a 13-yard gain, outplaying Commanders defensive back Car’lin Vigers.

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But his play was ruined after he drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for the tossed ball at a Commanders player. After Hafley pulled him to the sideline, the head coach was seen in a chat with Gordon, with arms over the RB’s shoulders.

Ollie Gordon II has been penalized before. In 2025, the RB was fuming after being flagged for tripping a Baltimore Ravens player. He was visibly angry on the sideline as others tried to calm him down.

Miami is counting on the young running back to remain part of its backfield behind De’Von Achane, and Gordon’s rookie season gave Miami some reasons to keep developing him, even though his workload was modest. He appeared in all 17 games, recording 70 carries for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He also had seven receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Gordon is a resource the Dolphins can’t afford to waste. He came to Miami as a Doak Walker Award-winner, the top college award for the best running back of the season. He recorded a total of 2,920 yards (1,732 in 2023 alone) and 36 touchdowns.

For Gordon, the message from his coach is fairly simple. The Dolphins want his physical ability and competitiveness to be positives for the team, not reasons for avoidable penalties or distractions. Hafley made that standard clear against Washington, and Gordon’s response over the rest of the preseason will show whether the lesson sticks.