Subscribe
Follow Us
After another long concussion layoff, Tua Tagovailoa is finally ready to make his Miami Dolphins return. But as he steps under center, Tagovailoa's former head coach Nick Saban is preaching caution.
His most recent marked Tagovailoa's third concussion in a three-year span. While Mike McDaniel says all medical experts saw no reason for the quarterback to stop playing football, Saban understands how truly physical the game is, via NFL on ESPN.
“I'm concerned,” Saban said. “I want Tua to be safe and healthy and not have a football career that's going to impact him down the road. This is a ‘medical decision,' not an organizational decision. People look at him and say, ‘Why are they letting him play?' The doctors make that decision, it's a medical decision.”
“For him, it becomes personal as to, ‘I really want to play, I'm a competitor, I love playing.' He has to make a decision, is the risk/reward from a medical standpoint worth it to you? I think all of those things are in play now,” Saban continued. “If he wants to play, and I've talked to him I know he wants to play, then I'm happy for him to have the opportunity to play.”
“I pray for him that he doesn't have any issues,” Saban concluded.
To Saban's point, there isn't much to stop Tua Tagovailoa from playing if he wants to be on the field. Especially after a full medical clearance from doctors. However, his mounting concussion injuries are growing gradually more concerning. With the frequency they have occurred, another concussion in short order would be devastating.
If Tagovailoa can avoid injury, the Dolphins will gladly welcome him back to their offense. Since leaving the game in Week 2, Miami has gone 1-3. Their lone win came over the lowly New England Patriots. Furthermore, the Dolphins have scored fewer than 20 points in every game.
Before his absence, Tagovailoa threw for 483 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. However, he's coming off of a season in which he threw for a league-leading 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns. Simply put, Tagovailoa is catalyst of Miami's offense.
But the team must be cautious upon his return. They know he can't afford to suffer another injury. Nick Saban will be amongst the NFL world with a watchful eye on Tagovailoa's return.
