‘He comes back’: Tua Tagovailoa’s parents confirm Miami Dolphins quarterback WILL continue playing after three concussion scares this season put his career in jeopardy
The parents of Miami Dolphins starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, have revealed that their son plans on returning to the team next season despite having suffered three concussion scares in 2022.
‘He’ll come back,’ Galu Tagovailoa, Tua’s mother told KHON 2 at the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii.
‘That’s their guy. They love him, we love them and what they’re doing and how they’re helping him with his recovery and everything else trying to get him back.’
Tua Tagovailoa’s parents is expecting their son to be under pocket for the Dolphins next year
Tagovailoa’s latest concussion came in a 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day
Tua sustained his latest known concussion of the season in a Christmas Day loss to Green Bay. It’s still unclear when exactly Tagovailoa got hurt; there is speculation that he was injured in the second quarter, with replays showing that the back of his head hit the turf with about 2:40 left until halftime.
He had thrown for 229 yards at that point with a touchdown. He then threw for 81 yards with three interceptions over the remainder of the game.
And hitting the back of his head has become an all-too-familiar, all-too-scary scene this season for the fifth pick of the 2020 NFL draft.
Tagovailoa also suffered concussion scares against the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals
It happened on September 25 when he briefly left a 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills. He missed Miami’s last three snaps of the first half after hitting his head, getting up and wobbling for a few steps.
The Dolphins originally announced that as a head injury, but Tua was cleared to return to that game and later said a back injury was the bigger issue that day.
He was never formally diagnosed with a concussion postgame. Four days later, he got hurt again during a Thursday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was taken off the field on a stretcher.
The 24-year-old QB has sparked debate on how the league handles its concussion protocols
As he laid on the turf, Tua’s fingers displayed what’s known as the ‘fencing response’ that typically indicates a serious neurological issue. That time, he was placed in the concussion protocol, as some argued should have happened after the hit in the Buffalo game.
Tua’s situation at that point sparked quick and significant changes to the concussion protocols by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The most notable addition was that an abnormality of balance and/or stability would be a symptom prohibiting a player from returning to a game.
But, the Hawaiian’s parents have shut down any rumors of retirement, as they’re appreciative of the Dolphins organization taking care of their son, who didn’t feature in the wildcard game loss against the Bills. Tua hasn’t played professional football for over a month as Miami has prioritized his recovery.
‘He’s still going through his protocol, but we’re grateful for them too,’ Tua’s mother said.
‘Very thankful for Miami. The organization. The owner [Chris] Grier as a GM and head coach Mike [McDaniel]. That guy’s special.’
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