With Tua Tagovailoa officially set to return from his latest concussion, there are concerns about his future health and quality of life.
That’s not to say that those concerns don’t resonate with the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback, but he’s charted a path forward to continue playing. Not everyone agrees with his choice, but at the end of the day, it’s his to make.
That said, there are those in the media expressing deep concern about the potential risks of another concussion, something Tagovailoa has become more susceptible to, especially since this is not his first or second official head injury.
Taylor Twellman, whose soccer career was cut short in part by concussions, recently appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show and shared his thoughts on Tagovailoa’s decision to keep playing.
“I’m scared for Tua… I will 100% support Tua and I will 100% respect the decision, but there is no way now knowing what we know and knowing where we’re going that I can’t sit here in this camera and tell you, your listeners, and the world that I’m not scared.”… pic.twitter.com/VY6iVNGShX
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) October 25, 2024
“I think for your listeners to understand where I’m coming from, Junior Seau was a real good friend of mine,” Twellman told Le Batard. “When he was playing for the Patriots, we lived in the same building, we carpooled together and I saw before I got my concussion, the impact to what post-concussion syndrome really is. I didn’t know it at the time. I now know it, having run a foundation.
“I’m scared for Tua. And I’m just gonna be honest, I’m scared. I think the words that he used, ‘The love of football ’til the death of me,’ all of that; I’m just scared. All I pray for and hope for him is that he’s asking the right people for non-committal advice on the football part, just as a human being. But we’re on Oct. 25, 2024, and Tua cannot say that the information is not out there.
“On Aug. 30, 2008, when my life changed forever, and the goalkeeper punched me in the head, and my career ended, there wasn’t the information that we have now. There wasn’t the people and the doctors and the understanding of what this really does to your brain and what you can do. So, you can’t claim ignorance and saying it’s not out there.
“I will 100 percent support Tua, and I will 100 percent respect the decision. But there is no way now, knowing what we know and knowing where we’re going, that I can’t sit here in this camera and tell you and tell your listeners that I’m not scared because that would be disingenuous and I would be lying to you. The last two or three concussions that he had had, that last one was a very innocuous hit that had very little to do with impact and everything — and we saw the reaction.
“I’m not going to lie to you; I’m nervous.”
At the end of the day, Tagovailoa’s choice is his to make, but Twellman knows firsthand the toll concussions can take on not only himself but loved ones as well. His fears for Tua seem to resonate deeply.
