The scene was grim Thursday evening when Tua Tagovailoa scrambled for a primary down, collided headfirst with Damar Hamlin’s arm relatively than sliding and crumpled to the bottom.
The Miami Dolphins’ star quarterback appeared to exhibit the fencing response on “Thursday Night time Soccer” for the second time in three years. Flashbacks to his 2022 damage in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals prompted comprehensible concern and concern on social media feeds. “Oh no, Tua.” “Not once more.”
In contrast to 2022, when he was taken off the sector by stretcher, Tagovailoa walked off below his personal energy on Thursday evening. Inside minutes, he was recognized with the third identified concussion of his NFL profession. He additionally had one at Alabama.
I’m in no place to inform Tagovailoa to hold them up. I’m not a health care provider, I’m not in Tagovailoa’s internal circle and I’ve by no means even had a concussion myself. However when former NFL gamers — not critics of soccer, however precise star gamers — are beginning to say you must retire, you need to think about if they’ve some extent.
“Actually hope Tua is okay, however he’s gotta significantly take into consideration shutting it dwn,” Shannon Sharpe wrote on X, previously often known as Twitter. “I H8 saying this. His concussions are getting worse and worse and he’s a younger man along with his complete life forward of him.”
“That’s it…. NFL go forward and do the precise factor,” wrote Dez Bryant, apparently arguing that the league ought to step in and power Tagovailoa to retire. “Tua has had solely approach too many concussions. He have to retire for his longevity well being issues.”
If Sharpe and Bryant are two males whose opinions you don’t notably respect, they weren’t alone. On Amazon Prime’s postgame present, Tony Gonzalez mentioned, “I’m considering retirement right here” … earlier than awkwardly following that up with the poorest phrase selection attainable: “To me, it looks as if a no brainer.”
And former participant and entrance workplace government Louis Riddick: “A part of the dialogue goes to be about if he ought to play anymore. Ever once more. That’s the truth. That makes me really feel sick. But it surely’s a part of the dialogue now. Simply need the person to be protected and wholesome.”
There’s a sure form of keyboard reactionary who will say that Tagovailoa knew what he signed up for when pursuing a soccer profession, that this complete concussion factor is getting overblown. Right here’s the issue with that: We aren’t legislating whether or not sort out soccer needs to be authorized for everybody, or at what age to start out tackling. That’s a separate dialog. We aren’t agonizing about what’s going to occur when the hits begin coming. For Tagovailoa, the hits have come.
Keep in mind, Tagovailoa has already admitted to contemplating retirement after his troublesome 2022 season. The person cleared concussion protocol scandalously quick in Week 3, frightened the soccer world in Week 4 and had one other identified concussion in December. We’re lower than two years faraway from that.
Amazon sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung mentioned late in Thursday’s sport that Tagovailoa was alert and had motion in all of his extremities. She additionally reported that his household was with him within the locker room. His mom requested him to rethink his taking part in profession again within the offseason of 2023. This time, the household’s pleas could also be stronger.
No matter determination Tagovailoa makes, his NFL profession shall be outlined by his battle with concussions. We all know an excessive amount of about CTE to disregard a participant with a historical past of concussions ever once more. Everybody’s our bodies heal in a different way, however when it comes all the way down to it, we solely get one mind.