Thursday night, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa exited the game with a concussion after diving headfirst into Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Unfortunately, this concussion led to a sight all too familiar for Dolphins fans. Their franchise quarterback laying on his back, with his arms upright, stiff, and fingers tensed. Immediately, the conversation shifted from “Is tua Okay?” to “Tua needs to call it a career.” After the Dolphins game on Thursday, Mike McDaniel pleaded with the media to focus on Tua’s health, not the future. But what good is the future if Tua does not have his health?

This is the third time in three years that Tua has been properly diagnosed with a concussion. However, this does not include the blatantly missed concussion he suffered during the Dolphins game against the Bills in week 3 of the 2022 season. This miss by medical professionals led to the former 5th overall pick playing against Cincinnati in Week 4 of 2022. The results, fortunately, weren’t deadly. However, NFL Fans were greeted by a scary sight from Tua.

Image from Marca: Tua Tagovailoa after being concussed in 2022

This response of tensed fingers is a signal of some sort of head trauma. Because Tua was likely already playing concussed, the hit that caused this response put him in a dangerous position. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) is a condition in which an individual experiences a second head injury before completely recovering from a prior head injury” continuing forward, some effects of SIS include:

– Subarachnoid Bleed: Bleeding in the space between the brain and the membrane covering the brain.

– Ischemic Stroke: Blocked Blood flow to Brain – considering life threatening

– Subdural Hematoma: Blood pooiling in the brain and outermost layer of the brain’s protecting covering – serious condition

– Skull Fracture (Basal): Can Be Fatal / Cause Nerve Damage / Hemorrhaging.

In an NFL Landscape where CTE is being seen more and more often in deceased players, and erratic behavior is widely known amongst current players and former players who are still living.

While I’m not an expert in the medical field, having 4 concussions in three years undoubtedly puts Tua Tagovailoa at a greater risk of suffering from the problems that have effected players later in life. Legendary linebacker Junior Seau struggled with depression and insomnia before ending his own life in 2012. Former players who aren’t even considered “middle-aged” like Chandler Jones and Antonio Brown show symptoms consistent with CTE. Former quarterback Bernie Kosar admitted to struggling with “ringing and Buzzing” in his head in a 2013 ESPN article.

345 Deceased football players have been diagnosed with CTE. How many more have gone undiagnosed because they didn’t live long enough to have the testing that exists in the 21st century?

Should he be medically cleared to play but choose to retire, he forfeits essentially all the money he made apart from his signing bonus. While this is still $43,000,000, Tua would miss out on the other $124 million he could get by playing. If he’s not clear to play, then he doesn’t have to worry about earning the money he signed for. Even if Tua is not forced to retire, is it worth it?

Tua Tagovailoa is a 26-year-old father of two. His son is at least two years old, and his daughter is a toddler. I understand he just signed a massive contract, and Tua wants to give success to the team that drafted him, developed him, and paid him. However, none of this is nearly as important as giving a level of sustainability to his family.

Is it worth severe brain damage to just increase your already substantial wealth further and further? Is severe brain damage worth not being able to care for your son and your daughter? To hear constant ringing and buzzing? Perhaps become wheelchair bound? Suffer Memory Loss? Is it work risking death?

Some will say that football players accept the risks of playing football. They accept the thought that one hit could change the trajectory of their life entirely. The NFL world saw this with Damar Hamlin just two years ago. Fortunately for Damar, he survived going into cardiac arrest and is starting for the Bills this season. However, no amount of money cannot replace the person that exists. $167,000,000 cannot compare to the son, brother, father, husband, or human.