Mystery about who removed Dolphins locker room fun and games is solved
The mystery about who removed the basketball hoop, the cards table and the Pop-A-Shot game from the Miami Dolphins’ locker room has finally been solved.
The weekend after Miami lost 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens, and days before the team’s 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills, the popular games that were stationed inside the locker room to create team bonding, disappeared.
The Pop-A-Shot dual hoops set was the most noticeable of the removed items because players would walk by the hoops set on their way to the showers, cold tubs and bathroom and consistently take long distance shots from all angles.
Pop-A-Shot became so popular the rims had been replaced at least three times since the season started because one player estimated “a million shots get taken a day.”
But last week, after general manager Chris Grier had been fired and replaced by interim general manager Champ Kelly, the players walked into the locker room and the fun and games were gone.
Some assumed it was Kelly, the new executive, laying down the law.
Or coach Mike McDaniel, but he claims it was the media who informed him the hoops and card table were removed from the locker room, which he views as a player’s domain.
Players eventually confirmed it was the leadership counsel’s decision to remove it, and on Thursday tailback De’Von Achane revealed that it was linebacker Jordyn Brooks, the team’s leading tackler, who spearheaded the removal of the Pop-a-Shot, the basketball rim (which was also broken), and card table from the locker room.
When asked if he was behind the banishment of the fun and games, Brooks, who has a no-nonsense kind of personality, issues a “no comment” in his usual dry tone.
“We’ve got to win,” Achane said, referring to the Dolphins’ 3-7 record. “Ain’t no point of us putting it back in there.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 4:07 PM.
