Dolphins coach's crazy story shows impressive commitment to football

The Miami Dolphins cleared house this offseason, replacing head coach Mike McDaniel after four seasons, with former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who will now lead an NFL team for the first time.

Hafley played wide receiver collegiately and made the jump to coaching in 2001 at WPI. Since then, he's moved back and forth a couple of times between the college game and the NFL, even having a four-year stint as head coach of Boston College before joining the Packers in 2024.

While Hafley hasn't had full command of an NFL franchise to this point in his career, he's been cutting his teeth for a while, and he's made a lot of sacrifices to show his commitment to the game.

In a recent interview with Dan LeBatard, Hafley went into some detail about things that he missed and even told a story about recruiting during his own wedding.

"I did [show up for my own wedding]," Hafley said. "At the time, though, I do remember standing behind the pew, kind of hidden with my brother, and I had my phone on me because we were recruiting a big defensive lineman. I was like 'Hey, I got to get my phone out. I have to do this and this and this.' That's how my mind was still going. We did get him. He turned out to be a really good player. I haven't thought about that since, but we got him. I remember texting him over and over. My brother is like, 'Put your phone down.' Minutes [from the I do's]. Maybe something is wrong with me... I got them both. She's still committed."

That's a crazy level of commitment, and he's lucky that his wife, Gina, didn't just up and leave him then and there. However, that's part of the sacrifice of being in the NFL and being married to someone dedicated to the game and the coaching profession.

More Dolphins: Who has final say when the Dolphins are selecting in the 2026 NFL draft?