‘Everything I think takes risk.’ A defiant Tua Tagovailoa just wants to get back to football
It was the moment Miami has waited patiently for.
Tua Tagovailoa, donning a no-sleeved hoodie that showed off his freshly completed tattooed left arm, announced his return to football, simultaneously injecting a sense of hope for Dolphins fans.
“I appreciate your concern, I really do,” Tagovailoa said in his first press conference since sustaining a head injury on Sept. 12. “I love this game, and I love it to the death of me.”
At times, Tagovailoa appeared frustrated with the line of questioning about his injury history as he didn’t want to become the face of concussions. He confirmed that his symptoms have been absent since the day after the concussion. He said he wouldn’t wear a guardian cap for personal reasons. And he said retirement was never on the table.
“This is only becoming a thing just because of what ended up happening two years ago for myself within the sport,” Tagovailoa said, referring to his two concussions in 2022. “I hate that it has happened, but we don’t look at boxers the same way, we don’t look at hockey players the same way, but I just think because of what happened and the magnitude, it’s becoming an issue here in the league.”
Tagovailoa’s return will bring an end to the quarterback carousel that existed ever since a concussion knocked him out of in the third quarter of a Week 2 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins placed him on injured reserve within days of the head injury, effectively sidelining him for four games. Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley — the quarterbacks that attempted to replace him — went 1-3 during the next three games, putting the Dolphins’ season in jeopardy.
“There was some challenging situations,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “There were something’s that I was happy with in terms of getting other players a chance to do their jobs and have good football but, overall, I would say that there’s a solid amount of time that the overall play wasn’t good enough.”
With Tagovailoa at the helm of the offense, the hope is that the lofty expectations that existed in the preseason might have a chance to come to fruition. Tagovailoa, however, doesn’t consider himself the savior.
“I don’t think, for myself, that I put any pressure on myself to comeback and save the team,” Tagovailoa said. “I think what we got to do is we got to look at this past game, all 11 guys on the field, were we given an opportunity with the plays that were called to score on every drive. If we can say yes, then we can look at ourselves and see what we can do to get better going forward.”
Tagovailoa admitted that being sidelined frustrated him a bit yet he found a way to make a impact as a leader. McDaniel even praised the quarterback for his commitment to the team amid his personal struggles.
“He has really shown his maturity that continues to evolve, and I think he found a way to be even more of a leader just by investing in his teammates when he can’t play,” McDaniel said, later adding he’s “making sure that his teammates know that he’s right there with them and is keeping track of all the things that are going on within the offense and talking to every position group about certain things that he sees that aren’t up to the standard, whether that’s a Monday film review or a Wednesday practice, he hasn’t taken a day off from them.”
Added Tagovailoa: “It’s just frustrating that I couldn’t have helped in any way outside of trying to coach and talking to guys. It’s been a different type of way of leading with our guys.”
The offense, which coach Mike McDaniel tailored to Tagovailoa’s strengths, never looked quite right without the former Alabama star. True, injuries to Thompson and Huntley likely played a role in the tough losses to the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts, both of whom were .500 or below at the time of matchup. But the gulf between Tagovailoa and the next man seemed even wider on Sunday after Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for two catches for 19 yards in a 16-10 loss to the Colts.
Tagovailoa, who met with several neurological experts across the country in addition to team doctors following his latest head injury, has sustained at least four documented concussions since college. Although he still has to clear the NFL concussion protocol, Tagovailoa maintained that doctors confirmed that his football career wouldn’t result in long-term brain damage. If Tagovailoa gets a second concussion, he might miss the remainder of the season, which is what happened in 2022. He, however, is comfortable with whatever the game brings him.
“Everything I think takes risk,” Tagovailoa said, seemingly implying that there’s even risk in driving to work. “Every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone or anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way you potentially could risk spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything and I’m willing to play the odds.”
After leading the league in passing yards in 2023, the Dolphins rewarded Tagovailoa with a five-year, $212 million contract at the start of the preseason. Through roughly seven quarters in 2024, Tagovailoa has completed about 65% of his passes for nearly 500 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
