Last night, the Dolphins faced off against the Bills on Thursday Night Football, where the Bills won 31-10, but the main storyline from the game wasn't the score; it was the health of QB Tua Tagovailoa. Late in the third quarter, with the Dolphins already down 21, Tagovailoa scrambled on a fourth down and picked up the first down. Damar Hamlin tackled him, and almost immediately, everyone knew that the 26-year-old quarterback was concussed. The teammates and Bills players pointed to Tagovailoa as the Dolphins' medical staff rushed to the field. Tagovailoa was later ruled out of the game, and earlier today, HC Mike McDaniels said the team will move forward with Skylar Thompson but will sign a veteran QB for depth.
"I'm just worried about the human being." ❤️
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2024
Mike McDaniel on Tua Tagovailoa pic.twitter.com/vn3OI48sXz
Now, why is this a big deal? Concussions, unfortunately, are a big part of football, and seeing a player receive one is not uncommon. But Tagovailoa has a known history of these concussions. It first stemmed in 2022 in a game versus the Dolphins, where he appeared to be concussed, stumbled off the field, and it was deduced that the QB was dealing with a back injury, just a few days later on National Television in a game against the Bengals where was tossed onto the turf and was clearly concussed with his hands posturing. It was a disturbing site to see, and many fans questioned the Dolphins' medical team during their matchup the week before. And then, to end the season, Tagovailoa received another concussion against the Green Bay Packers, knocking him out for the rest of the season.
POWERFUL: #Dolphins & #Bills players kneeled midfield postgame with a prayer to God for the injured Tua Tagovailoa.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 13, 2024
🙏🙏🙏
Tua is an extremely religious man, who prays before he goes out on the field every drive. pic.twitter.com/zYEIkVNlcO
With all this history of concussions in Tagovailoa's young career, many players, coaches, and fans are concerned for his health both in and outside of the game. Tua now has three significant concussions in three years; retirement isn't that far-fetched. Tagovailoa's career earnings are over $73 million, and signing a four-year $212 million contract, of which $93 million was guaranteed at signing. He will be more than comfortable if he decides to retire.
The young QB contemplated retirement in 2022 after a brutal injury year and has trained to make himself less prone to these types of injuries. Including jiu-jitsu, bulking up before the 2023 season, and then this season slimming down to be quicker to avoid major tacklers; all the training seemed to be for nothing after last night's game, though. Although Tua is young, players like Luke Kechly and Andrew Luck both made the hard choice and retired early in favor of their health. It is an impossible choice for a player who has been playing football since he was eight years old; we will have to see what the medical professionals will say and what Tua will do.
