Manti Te’o (Photo via MLFootball/Twitter)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion in Thursday night’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, and the entire sports world is praying for his health.
Former NFL linebacker Manti Te’o, who is close friends with Tagovailoa and his family, gave some insight into the topic, and it nearly brought him to tears.
Te’o couldn’t help but get emotional about the Miami Dolphins quarterback on Friday after the QB’s latest concussion while appearing on Good Morning Football.
The former linebacker made it clear that after he saw the head injury Tagovailoa suffered against the Bengals, he “wanted him to walk [away].”
“This is just a game,” he added, “and then there’s life.”
“What people have to understand is this is just a game, and then there’s life. When you watch, when you watch a young man that you’ve known since he was a little boy go out there… is it hard for me? Yea.”
An emotional Manti T’eo Spiel spoke about Tua Tagovailoa this morning… the two are close friends.
“After he suffered the [concussion] against the Bengals I wanted him to [retire]… that was hard, bro.”
🙏
(via @FinsXtra)
pic.twitter.com/sTnfh1olbT— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 13, 2024
“For somebody who’s been in that situation who have had a concussion, I don’t even know if Tua is there as he is walking off the field. There have been clips of me after concussions, getting off the ground and walking off the stadium, walking into the locker room, I don’t remember those walks,” Te’o said.
“I want the best for Tua, the man, the father. He’s a father of two now. I want him to be able, not today, but 10, 15, 20 years down the line, to be able to raise his children, to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle. That’s what I want for Tua, that’s true joy.”
The Dolphins quarterback went down in the third quarter after a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Instead of sliding to the ground, Tua Tagovailoa leaned in with his head and caught the worst of the tackle as he went into a fencing posture, signaling a serious head injury.
Tagovailoa has a history of concussions during his time in the NFL, and this latest one has led the entire NFL community to question whether he should seriously think about stepping away from the game forever.
Manti Te’o ended his statement by saying that Tua Tagovailoa will ultimately decide whether to hang up his cleats.
Tua Tagovailoa Set To Miss An Unknown Number of Games
The Dolphins saw quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy and start all 18 games in the regular season and playoffs in 2023.
Miami’s franchise quarterback exited Thursday’s game after suffering a concussion in the third quarter.
They likely will not see him for some time.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Friday that Skylar Thompson is the “next man up” to replace Tua after the third confirmed concussion of his career.
