He is a special player, but Tua Tagovailoa is a special son first.
The sacrifice his parents made in trusting the University of Alabama to take care of he and his younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, never went unnoticed by the coaching staff, players, support staff and millions of fans across the landscape.
For three years, the elder brother has transformed the culture of Crimson Tide football. Not only is he one of the most gifted distributors of the football in the sport, but Tagovailoa also has a way of connecting with people and making everyone around him better. During his presser on Monday, one could feel Nick Saban’s hurt as he became very emotional in discussing how much the junior means to him and his teammates.
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Tagovailoa is one of four to five players that did more than win the hearts of fans over; he won Saban’s heart too.
In the aftermath of him sustaining a dislocated hip, prayers, positive thoughts and numerous words of encouragement were sent to the Tagovailoa family. His brothers visited him at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., and while Saban called to cheer him up, it was the native Hawaiian that brought the ultimate smile to his coach’s face.
His surgery in Houston, Texas was successful and for his parents – Galu and Diane Tagovailoa – cannot thank the Alabama program enough for loving their son.
On Tuesday, a heartfelt message was penned via their Twitter account – showing the school the utmost appreciation.
Love y’all ?❤️?? pic.twitter.com/ovBtxT5nZD
— The Tagovailoa’s (@dtagovailoa) November 19, 2019
Even with the team behind Mac Jones now, they know the fighter that Tagovailoa is.
He will push to make a full recovery.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
