Tua Tagovailoa was a full participant in practice on Thursday, and it looks like he will be back on the field in the Miami Dolphins’ Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals. His final step before clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol will be cleared by an independent neurologist.
Despite another scary incident in September that had former players urging him to consider retirement, the star quarterback chose to pursue a comeback after his fourth known conflict between his college and NFL career.
Tagovailoa also won’t be using the new keeper cap option available to players—a personal “hoice”—but the helmet’s safety technology isn’t going to save his career, in my opinion.
A man needs to be smooth.
Tagovailoa’s concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills could have been avoided if he had dropped his backside to slide feet first and avoid contact, the way quarterbacks have been taught to do for decades. Instead, after gaining the yardage needed to hit a highlight reel up the middle, Tagovailoa stepped on Damar Hamlin’s pass attempt, needlessly lowering his head on the defender.
What makes his fans and teammates so angry is that this was not a bad and unethical decision. Tyreek Hill said his teammates have been asking Tagovailoa to slide for a long time.
“When we played the Colts, you see the fans start clapping for Anthony Richardson when he skates,” said Hill. “I said our fans must applaud Tua; make him slip.”
Go back to 2022. After Tagovailoa’s concussion against the Bengals—the call and hospitalization, the controversy over whether he was cleared to play in the days leading up to the game—it was less than a month before he returned to face the Steelers.
Twice in that game, he dropped his head and shoulder at the end of a run, scaring the living daylights out of everyone watching.
The following week, Tagovailoa summed it up: “Obviously, I had my coaches tell me, ‘We never want you to do this.’ Obviously, I get that, from the injuries and what happened before with the collision, it’s football, and for me, I see the first time on the ground and I want to do everything I can do as a calf.”
There is a whole story.
Tagovailoa lets his competitive nature override his need for self-preservation. It also resulted in another dispute last month against Nathi. Now his teammates and coaches are begging him to slide.
“We can say those things to him until we are blue in the face, but what I can say is that what I am saying is, ‘Hey, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. right?’“ Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert said Thursday. “We will bring Tua that water, but we will not be able to make him drink. He understands that, and going forward, he’s going to do his best.”
That’s the rarest admission you can make about your highest paying franchise quarter! Even putting Tagovailoa’s well-being aside, his greatest skill is to be found when it comes to the well-being of the team. Miami is 1-3 since the injury. They are counting on him to play it safe, or at least smarter, to achieve the team’s long-term goals.
NC State quarterback Grayson McCall retired from football this week after dealing with the latest in a series of concussions. McCall was an incredibly fun player to watch in his Coastal Carolina days before the transfer, but his recent helmet-jarring hit was unfortunately the last straw.
“The neurologists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to close the complaint,” McCall wrote on social media. “As I feel that my whole world is being taken away from me, I have a sense of satisfaction. Every time my feet hit the grass, I left every part of me in that field. I’ve been playing as hard as I can and with all my strength because I didn’t know which game would be my last.”
Regardless of how much money you think ACC quarterbacks make in the NIL, McCall didn’t inhale one hundredth of what Tagovailoa earned during his football career.
Put another way, Tagovailoa has the financial security to retire early.
McCall has a lot to play for if he’s stubborn enough.
McCall made his decision. Tagovailoa did his.
Players’ treatment histories vary greatly, as do their motivations, so conflict-related decisions will never be the same.
“Thank you for your concern. I really do,” said Tagovailoa to those who are concerned about his health. “I love this game. And I love you till my death. “
I just hope he listens to the complaints of the coaches and his brothers in the Dolphins.