Football fans know about the struggles that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has gone through since starting his journey. Towards the end of the third quarter in Week Two against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa suffered from a concussion after getting hit during a run. He was then placed on injured reserve (IR), it is unclear if he had a seizure, however he did seize up when he hit the ground.
The Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel said during an interview, “I do expect to see him playing football in 2024.” However, he would not be able to return until Week Eight against the Arizona Cardinals. Tagovailoa has been meeting with neurologists, and in a report from NFL Insider Adam Schefter, it is confirmed that he will not be retiring. The NFL approved his return to the sport and he was cleared by his doctors.
But should he return? When playing a sport there are always risks involved, but at a certain point the player needs to take a step back and think about what is right for their health. I personally do not think that Tagovailoa should return to football. His most recent concussion was the third in his professional career, but he had also gotten some concussions when he played at the University of Alabama.
Concussions are serious head trauma and repeated concussions can cause issues to a person’s long term health. Take Muhammad Ali as an example. Ali has Parkinson’s disease, and it is possible that it came from repeated head trauma. While it is not known for a fact that concussions caused the disease, head trauma is a known risk factor for the later onset of Parkinson’s. Another issue that can come from head trauma is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. Symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. A couple of NFL players that have been diagnosed with CTE have either killed themselves and/or killed their family members. Not everyone that gets diagnosed with CTE ends up like that, but it is a risk that doesn’t seem worth it.
At the end of the day, Tagovailoa has decided to return to playing football, and while he is good at the sport and fans will be happy to have him back, I do not think he should do it. Being cleared to play does not mean that you should just jump right back into it, especially being someone who is prone to concussions and injuries. If he did choose to retire, he would be walking away from 124 million dollars, so I do understand from that aspect why he is choosing to play. Plus, the love he has for the sport surely plays a part in his decision.
While concussions are serious and can have lasting effects on a person’s health, it is important to respect whatever decision the player comes to. Tagovailoa has been medically cleared and the NFL told him he can play again, and if that is what he chooses to do, no one can stop him. While I may disagree with that decision, I understand that he loves what he does and would be walking away from a large sum of money.