‘Getting worse’ – Concerned NFL stars beg Tua Tagovailoa to retire after sickening collision leaves Miami Dolphins QB with another concussion
NFL stars already know what the Miami Dolphins should do with Tua Tagovailoa.
After the Pro Bowl quarterback went down late in the third quarter during a 31-10 blowout loss to the division-rival Buffalo Bills, the 26-year-old Tagovailoa immediately displayed "fencing" symptoms as his hands became frozen.
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For Dez Bryant, that was "enough."
"That’s it," the ex-Dallas Cowboys wide receiver tweeted. "NFL go ahead and do the right thing. Tua has had entirely way too many concussions. He need to retire for his longevity health concerns."
While Bills QB Josh Allen expressed heartfelt concern for Tagovailoa and Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said that he was worried about his QB a "human being," former big NFL names wanted action instead of words.
"In all seriousness, Tua may want to rethink playing football in the future depending on severity," Antonio Brown tweeted. "Concussions not something to mess with."
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A day after becoming a running joke on social media due to an unintended live stream that went viral, Shannon Sharpe took to X to be a voice of reason for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins and the NFL.
"Really hope Tua is ok, but he’s gotta seriously think about shutting it dwn," Sharpe posted. "I H8 saying this. His concussions are getting worse and worse and he’s a young man with his entire life ahead of him."
Fans echoed those words, expressing worry about the personal future of a young QB who signed a four-year, $212 million contract with the Dolphins in July.
Less than two months later, Tagovailoa has suffered his third in concussion in two years.
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On Thursday Night Football, the Miami QB displayed fencing -- an involuntary "hands up" response that follows a concussion and related head trauma -- after being hit.
Tagovailoa previously acknowledged that he considered retirement and took up martial arts to help himself fall more safely.
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He also lost weight this offseason in an attempt to move more freely on the field.
But the third-quarter hit that a diving Tagovailoa suffered against the Bills was a reminder of how dangerous the NFL can be, and that the best preparation can be erased within a split second of on-field action.
"Tua has to think about life after football," one fan tweeted. "One more concussion is 1 too many."
"The more concussions you get, the easier it is to get more," a second fan posted. "That play didn’t even look that bad."
"Tua has nothing to prove," a third fan wrote. "He doesn’t need to keep suffering these serious injuries. He deserves a good life outside of football."
Tagovailoa was the No. 5 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
He's listed at 6ft 1in, 225lbs, but the fifth-year pro is one of the smallest QBs in the NFL and has dealt with injury issues since entering the league.
Tagovailoa started all 17 games last season, completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Yet the 2023 campaign is the only year in which the young QB has played a full season.
Miami fell to 1-1 with the loss while Buffalo improved to 2-0.
Winning the Super Bowl is far from the Dolphins' main concern right now.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 4 of the 2022 season, which followed a hard helmet hit on the ground in Week 3.
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He also had a concussion in Week 16 of the same season, but was allowed to return to the game and threw three second-half interceptions.
The NFL Players Association fired NFL Players Association fired the neurotrauma consultant who was involved in treating the Miami QB during his Week 3 game in 2022.
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