Tua Tagovalioa, the star quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, says he has no plans to retire after startling the football world on Thursday night, when he took a hard hit to the head and was knocked out of the remainder of Miami’s matchup against Buffalo.
He suffered his fifth concussion since 2022, taking a hit from Bills’ defensive back Damar Hamlin.
Tagovailoa bounced off of Hamlin and hit his head on the turf after scrambling for a first down, in an attempt to gain more yardage. Tagovailoa quickly went into a fencing posture response from the contact and players of both teams kneeled around him praying and seeking medical attention. Later, Tagovailoa was able to walk off under his own power but this caused many football fans, even casuals, to worry about the health of the fifth-year quarterback.
The concerns stem from Tagovailoa’s unfortunate history with concussions.
He has had three documented concussions by the Miami Dolphins medical staff that has caused him to miss multiple games in the past couple of seasons, outside of last season where he played every game. Many, including those around the league, have suggested the 26-year-old should retire for the benefit of his long-term health after dealing with a few head/neck injuries in such a short time frame. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that Tagovalioa has planned to meet with a neurologist this week to seek their input for the severity of his latest concussion, as he aims to informed decision about his playing future.
From @NFLGameDay: #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire, sources say. He’s already begun seeing concussion specialists and will continue to do so, but there is no timeline to return. Tua will be back when he and his doctors deem him healthy and ready. pic.twitter.com/Cc6aQI8HcZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 15, 2024
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins recently agreed to a four-year, $212 million dollar extension with $167 million guaranteed back in the summer. It will be interesting to see how Tagovailoa, the Dolphins organization, and the NFL handle this situation as a whole as the QB aims to return back to play soon.
