MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa has suffered four diagnosed concussions. Three of them were completely avoidable.
So while the Miami Dolphins were thrilled to have Tagovailoa back on the practice field Wednesday, they know that his next stint on injured reserve might be just one more impulsive decision away.
Miami Dolphins Beg Tua Tagovailoa To Protect Himself
Tagovailoa suffered his latest concussion when he lowered his shoulder into Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin on a fourth-down scramble in Week 2.
It’s unclear if Tagovailoa would have made the line to gain if he slid. But it’s very clear that he would have been available to fight another day even if he had come up short.
That is why coaches and teammates have spent the last month reminding Tagovailoa just how important he is to their success and how important it is that he takes care of himself.
Big day for the Miami Dolphins.
Tua Tagovailoa is back at practice for the first time in six weeks.
Players not spotted today: Terron Armstead, Calais Campbell, Kader Kohou, Storm Duck, and Tyler Huntley. pic.twitter.com/yjyyV9ArL1
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 23, 2024
“D— right,” Tyreek Hill said, when asked if he’s told Tua that he needs to slide. “We tell his a– all the time. S—. When we were playing against the Colts, you see the fans start clapping for Anthony Richardson when he slid.
“I said our fans need to clap for Tua, make him slide. ‘We need you, bro. Next play. Come on, that s—‘s real, bro.’ It’s real and we love him from brother to brother. We love him like he’s a huge part of this team.”
Tagovailoa on Monday insisted that the message has gotten through. But in truth, it should have five years ago when his college career ended on a hip and head injury suffered on a play Tua was trying to extend.
“Just got to be smart, that’s it,” Tagovailoa said Monday. “Just got to be smart. My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is or was sort of my edge when I would run from high school, even in college I would do the same thing.
“But it’s a professional setting; this is the professional level, the best of the best, you just can’t be doing that. So definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”
Tua’s teammates certainly hope that their pleas have gotten through to him. But they won’t know for sure until they see him consistently give himself up on plays that he would before try to extend.
“We all joke around and laugh, but on a serious note, he knows that he has to protect himself a little bit better,” said Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert. “Moving forward, only he can control those things, right?
“We could say those things to him until we’re blue in the face. My saying is, ‘Hey, you can bring a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink, right?’
“We’re going to bring Tua to that water, but we can’t make him drink. He has an understanding of that, and moving forward, he’s going to do his best.”