The concussion that Tua Tagovailoa suffered during the Miami Dolphins’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday put head injuries back at the forefront of most sports talk shows on Friday morning.
That included on ESPN’s Get Up, where former NFL linebacker Bart Scott revealed that he actually retired from the league due to the effects of head injuries, something he had never previously shared.
“It’s about ‘what is Tua willing to risk?’ And that’s an intimate conversation you have to have,” Scott said during a discussion about the possibility Tagovailoa could retire following the third concussion of his NFL career. “Everybody thinks I retired because of my toe, right?… but really it was because I started seeing spots and lights. I had light sensitivity. I never really shared this with anybody. I feel inclined to do this in this intimate setting that we have.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was like, you know what? It’s time to fold it up.”
Bart Scott: “Everybody thinks I retired because of my toe. I had reconstructive surgery on my toe when I left. But really it was because I started seeing spots and lights… I didn’t know what to do. I was like, you know what? It’s time to fold it up.” pic.twitter.com/G30ujgM20y
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2024
The former Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets star proceeded to discuss how such decisions can be complicated, especially considering the emotions involved. He also admitted that there are times in which he regrets retiring from the NFL when he did at the age of 32.
“I tell people all the time, athletes have two deaths,” Scott said. “You don’t know what to do. You wake up the next day and you’re 30-years-old or you’re 20-years-old and you don’t know what to do with the rest of your life. And everything that you’ve done has been defined by being a football player. It’s not who you are, it’s what you do.”
While Scott had previously stated that he’s never been diagnosed with a concussion, this isn’t the first time he’s spoken out regarding head injuries. Shortly after his retirement in 2012, he admitted he didn’t want his son to play football in the future due to his concerns about head trauma.
To his larger point, such discussions regarding retirement are inevitability complicated, but also unavoidable considering the nature of Tagovailoa’s history of head injuries. The discussion on Get Up — which also featured fellow ex-NFL players Ryan Clark and Chris Canty — did a great job of explaining as much, with Scott’s vulnerability adding a new layer you won’t find many other places.
[Get Up]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.