Time to hang it up? Tua Tagovailoa’s third concussion casts a shadow of uncertainty over his future in the NFL
Tua Tagovailoa sustained the third concussion of his NFL career, giving rise to the question if he should consider retiring early to protect himself.
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Tua Tagovailoa (Image via IMAGO)
Thursday night football was more concerning than entertaining this week. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down after running into Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Soon after, he was diagnosed with a concussion, the third of his NFL career. He was able to walk off the field by himself, but his arms went into the fencing response right after he took the hit.
His injury has fans and peers expressing concern for his health. There is a growing request for Tua Tagovailoa to strongly consider retiring from the NFL in order to protect himself from doing any further damage to his brain and for the well-being of his family.
The short answer to the question of whether Tua Tagovailoa should retire is yes. In 2022, the quarterback took two big hits in one week. The first hit was co-incidentally in a matchup against the Buffalo Bills, where the back of his head hit the ground. When Tagovailoa stood up, he stumbled before standing up straight but shortly returned to the game after.
Tua Tagovailoa’s family should urge him to prioritize his health over football
The NFL and NFLPA fired the neurological consultant who cleared him to return as he allowed the quarterback to go back in with a possible concussion.
Four days later, Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion, which rendered him unconscious for a minute. It did not end there as the quarterback took yet another nasty blow to his head against the Green Bay Packers, which led the Dolphins to keep him off the field for the remainder of the season.
After that season, Tua Tagovailoa admitted to having conversations about retiring with his mother. But the quarterback opted to consider alternatives such as learning Jiu-Jitsu tactics to learn how to fall without having his head hit the ground. Those techniques may have helped him get through the 2023-24 season, but at times, in a game as violent as football, the athlete cannot control how he falls.
Tua Tagovailoa is putting himself at risk for early-onset CTE
An increased number of concussions results in the individual becoming more vulnerable to a CTE diagnosis. As per the National Institutes of Health, each additional year of playing football increases the odds of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a person by 15%, and in individuals with low-stage CTE, it increases the odds of the progression of their condition to a severe stage by 14%.
If Tagovailoa continues to put himself at risk and continue to take blows to his head, winning a championship for the Miami Dolphins will be the least of his concerns. It will have a drastic impact on his life expectancy and his quality of life. Understandably, the quarterback would be reluctant to walk away from the game, especially right after signing a four-year, $212 million contract with the team.
While Tagovailoa is likely having serious doubts about returning to the game, he is an athlete and has the mindset of a competitor. He thinks differently than the average person, somewhere in the midst of these thoughts of walking away from the game, Tagovailoa’s aspirations of building a legacy and establishing himself as a successful quarterback, one who brings a Super Bowl win to Miami will stop him from doing what is best for his family.
Tua Tagovailoa has made enough money to lead a comfortable life and provide for his family
The only consideration that would encourage Tagovailoa to stay and play football apart from his competitive nature is to ensure he can provide for his family and accumulate generational wealth. But, he has already done that! As per the numbers of his new contract, $167.1 million is guaranteed.
While a full recovery is the only real focus here, in response to questions regarding Tua Tagovailoa's contract:
— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 13, 2024
The deal includes $167M guaranteed for injury, $43M of which has been paid in 2024.
If he's medically cleared to return to football, but opts to retire, he will…
The quarterback added $42 million of this sum to his net worth as his salary for this season. Now, assuming he was to immediately retire, then the remaining $124 million would be forfeited by him unless he enters a settlement with the Dolphins. In the event that the quarterback is medically forced into retirement, that would entitle him to collect the $124 million.
If Tua opts to stay on for the rest of this season and retire next off-season, then he would receive another $54 million in March 2025 as salary towards 2026. That would place his career earnings in the ballpark of $100 million. That is generational wealth right there.
He will further be able to take advantage of the NFL’s retirement and insurance plans. As per the league’s Player Insurance Plan, the player gets medical coverage for up to five years following retirement.
In conclusion, Tua Tagovailoa has nothing left to prove. Football is great, but the game is not worth losing your life over. He has a beautiful family of his own with his wife Anna. son Ace, and daughter Maisey. Why risk throwing it all away for a few years, playing a game that will inevitably move on from you rather than when you have a chance to spend a lifetime with your wife and children?
It is undoubtedly a tough decision to make. After all, Tua Tagovailoa has played football for the majority of his life.
It is all he knows, and it is what led him to the top. He is now in a position wherein he will have to walk away from the one thing he loves to do most, and that is devastating. But it is ultimately in the best interest of his health and his family that he prioritize himself over all else.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2254 Articles Published)