Former NFL stars are telling Tua Tagovailoa to consider hanging up his cleats after he suffered another concussion during Thursday night’s loss to the Bills.
Tagovailoa, 26, exited the game in the third quarter after going head-first into a Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin and was ruled out for the rest of the game due to a concussion.
It was the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career, which raised major concerns over his health.
“Really just praying for Tua’s long-term health. Another concussion puts him at 3 officially and countless other scares. Think of the person not just the player,” former ESPN analyst and NFL QB Robert Griffin III wrote on X.
Tagovailoa suffered two concussions during the 2022 NFL season, and that doesn’t include a scare in Week 3 when he hit his head hard on the ground and stumbled down the field.
He was allowed to return to that game and was later ruled to have had a back injury and not a concussion.
The controversial decision led to the NFLPA firing the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who cleared him to go back into the game.
“Really hope Tua is ok, but he’s gotta seriously think about shutting it dwn,” Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe wrote. “I H8 saying this. His concussions are getting worse and worse and he’s a young man with his entire life ahead of him.”
Former Cowboys standout Dez Bryant expressed a similar concern.
“That’s it…. NFL go ahead and do the right thing. Tua has had entirely way too many concussions. He need to retire for his longevity health concern,” the former wide receiver wrote on X.
On Thursday night, Tagovailoa attempted to dive head-first before hitting right into Hamlin.
The QB attempted to sit up but looked dazed and went back to the ground as teammates immediately waved for the medical staff.
Stream the game live on Thursday night on Amazon Prime Video
Tagovailoa eventually did walk off the field and went to the Dolphins locker room, quickly getting diagnosed with the concussion in about six minutes.
On the Prime Video postgame show, former tight end Tony Gonzalez said it should be something the quarterback should highly consider.
“He’s one of the best humans on the planet.”
Josh Allen has a lot of love for @Tua.#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/fjq9vAbaDL
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 13, 2024
“To me, it seems like a no-brainer, honestly,” he said. “I try to put myself in that situation, that’s what we do as players. Injuries, it’s an unfortunate part of this game. … This is something that can affect you long-term.
“For me, it’s one of those, ‘I had a great career, time to move on.”
Former defensive back Richard Sherman added on the postgame show that Tagovailoa needs to have conversations about it with his wife and family.
Tagovailoa said in 2023 that he had given some consideration to retiring after the two-concussion 2022.
