As unfortunate of a reality as it is, football at any level, from Pop Warner to the NFL, carries an inherent risk. With every collision to the head, there is a chance of concussion, brain damage, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other neurodegenerative diseases. As a result, the NFL has instituted many rules in past years to deter late or big hits, including increasing the proportion of flags thrown for roughing the passer or initiating unnecessary roughness. This season, players are allowed to wear Guardian Caps, which the league claims will reduce the force of head contact by 20%. Despite this, most of the players have rejected this innovation, citing issues with its style or how heavy it is. It will be many years before protective equipment like this becomes mainstream and, even then, the risk of long-term brain injury is not going away soon. One player who does not wear the Guardian Cap and has fallen victim to concussions is Tua Tagovailoa. Last Thursday, the All-Pro quarterback picked up his fourth-documented concussion in the past five years. Despite this, the 26-year-old has no plans to hang up the cleats. While some folks believe his decision to stay is unwise, Tagovailoa’s choice is not as simple as one may think.
Tagovailoa’s last concussion was in week three of the 2022 season, when the former Crimson Tide quarterback got shoved hard to the ground after getting a pass off. Tagovailoa was clearly shaken up, as when he got up, he collapsed immediately and had to be held up by his teammates. It was a scary moment, but the scarier part was he returned for the next offensive series. Originally, he was diagnosed with a head injury, but medical personnel later determined it to be a back alignment issue, so he was allowed to rejoin the contest. However, four days later, Tagovaiola was ripped to the ground on a brutal hit. The signal caller exhibited the “fencing response,” a common reaction to a traumatic brain injury, and he had to be carted off the field. This led to the NFL altering its concussion protocols to enhance player safety, and the NFLPA firing the independent doctor who cleared Tagovaiola to return to action. Even leading up to this game, many people questioned whether the signal caller should have even suited up in week four. Later that year, the Dolphins quarterback encountered even more problems.
In week 16 of the 2022 season, Tagovaiola played a full game against the Green Bay Packers. Although it was determined postgame, he suffered a concussion at some point in the contest, which ended his season.
Just a week ago, against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovaiola scrambled for a first and led with the crown of his helmet. His head smashed into the chest of Damar Hamlin and bounced off the turf, where he exhibited the “fencing response.”
While it may seem straightforward that Tagovaiola call it a career, an interesting discussion took place last Friday on ESPN’s Get Up, which included former players Ryan Clark, Chris Canty and Bart Scott. These athletes shared their own experiences with injuries and the decision Tagovaiola must make. Clark also noted that this situation is anything but straightforward.
“What you’re asking a man to do is give up his lifelong dream that he’s worked for,” said Clark. “He can’t know that he’s going to get another concussion; he can’t know that he will be in a place to where he’s not functional for his family, for his children, for his wife. He can’t know that, he can’t predict that. So he’s going to have to make this decision on what’s so present, what’s so now, which is I love this game, I want to play this game, this is how I feed my family, as opposed to what it means for my future and that’s difficult, and so you have to tell him that right now it’s about getting all the information, it’s about getting a clear head and making a non-emotional decision on whether you play or not going forward.”
While some former players, like Dez Bryant, have been very vocal that Tagovaiola should step away from the game, Clark’s thinking is rational. No doubt, the decision to call it a career, especially at the young age of 26, is difficult. The dream of being immortalized as one of the games greats and the years of sacrifice put into reaching the NFL are major reasons for sticking around longer than necessary. Yet, as so many former players like Bryant have said, at the end of the day, it’s just a game. Tagovaiola has much life to live beyond football, and this is a decision that goes beyond football. Not to mention, someone as talented as Tagovaiola could get a job coaching, on TV or even in podcasting. Therefore, retirement doesn’t necessarily mean the signal caller is “done” with football.
While he has no plans to retire, his decision may change during the remaining time before his eventual return. It is ultimately up to him and the medical professionals. If Tagovaiola decides to return to the field, he needs to be educated on the risks he is undertaking, considering his past medical history and how that will affect the rest of his life. If the benefit of playing around 10 years more of football is worth the long-term risks to his health, then he should do it; if not, he should reconsider his career choice.