League Should Retire Tagovailoa

[Harry]

I’m all for letting people risk whatever they choose. If he wants to bungee jump, that’s fine. It’s just not fair to would be tacklers that one of them may end Tagovailoa‘s career or even impair him for life. There’s no treatment for CTE. That fate for some hard working player may leave them with excessive guilt for life. They’d be like a boxer who kills someone in the ring. That player may never be the same. Boxing Commissions now refuse to sanction fights.

 

[Shane]

I think he should retire. But it is his decision. There is inherent danger in any contact sport at any given time and the players ALL OF THEM Know that.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Tua Tagovailoa injury update: Dolphins QB won't wear Guardian Cap upon return to play, explains why

Tagovailoa is slated to return in Week 8 vs. Arizona

www.cbssports.com

Tua Tagovailoa is back in the fold for the Miami Dolphins. The club is designating him to return to practice this week and, if all goes according to plan, will start in Week 8 when the team takes on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If/when he does, however, the quarterback won't be donning a Guardian Cap. When speaking to reporters on Monday, Tagovailoa, who has been sidelined with his latest concussion, was asked if he'd sport the soft shell over his helmet.

"Nope," he said. "Personal choice."

Tagovailoa was also asked how much risk he believes he's taking by playing again.

"Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work?" Tagovailoa answered. "Get into a car crash, I don't know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we're all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it's a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There's just risk in any and everything, and I'm willing to play the odds. That's it."

 

[RON_IN_OC]

Tua Tagovailoa injury update: Dolphins QB won't wear Guardian Cap upon return to play, explains why

Tagovailoa is slated to return in Week 8 vs. Arizona

www.cbssports.com

Tua Tagovailoa is back in the fold for the Miami Dolphins. The club is designating him to return to practice this week and, if all goes according to plan, will start in Week 8 when the team takes on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If/when he does, however, the quarterback won't be donning a Guardian Cap. When speaking to reporters on Monday, Tagovailoa, who has been sidelined with his latest concussion, was asked if he'd sport the soft shell over his helmet.

"Nope," he said. "Personal choice."

Tagovailoa was also asked how much risk he believes he's taking by playing again.

"Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work?" Tagovailoa answered. "Get into a car crash, I don't know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we're all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it's a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There's just risk in any and everything, and I'm willing to play the odds. That's it."

The CTE has already set in.

 

[DVontel]

Tua not walking away from $124mill.

 

[Dback Jon]

I think the league should require anyone who had a concussion to wear the guardian cap for the remainder of that season

 

[oaken1]

I think he should retire. But it is his decision. There is inherent danger in any contact sport at any given time and the players ALL OF THEM Know that.

Yup.
That's why there are guarantees in contracts.
His body. His choice.

 

[TRW]

League can't retire him. There would be hell to pay with the Player's Association and, probably, violate the CBA. Only if the independent neurologist definitively said he absolutely could not play could he be indefinitely held out or put on permanent I.R. I heard one of the talking heads Graziano? say he was symptom free just days after the event and hasn't had any recurrence of symptoms since, but who knows?

It's totally his choice along with clearance from the protocols. He loves to play and, I'm sure, those paychecks are nice. As Shane said above ALL of the players know the risks.

 

[PDXChris]

I think he should retire. But it is his decision. There is inherent danger in any contact sport at any given time and the players ALL OF THEM Know that.

This right here!

 

[HairZach]

I’m all for letting people risk whatever they choose. If he wants to bungee jump, that’s fine. It’s just not fair to would be tacklers that one of them may end Tagovailoa‘s career or even impair him for life. There’s no treatment for CTE. That fate for some hard working player may leave them with excessive guilt for life. They’d be like a boxer who kills someone in the ring. That player may never be the same. Boxing Commissions now refuse to sanction fights.

Despite Tua's concussions looking particularly nasty, concussions that aren't as visible, concussions where the player doesn't get knocked out, and just jogs to the LOS as normal, are just as damaging to the brain. Linemen get micro concussions on nearly every single snap. Just by Tua's position he probably has one of the healthier brains in the league.

It is almost certain that every single lineman, receiver, linebacker and runningback has received more brain damage than Tua. If you advocate for Tua to be forced to retire then you should advocate for the entire league to be shut down and for football to be banned. Everyone in the league has CTE to varying degrees.

 

[Devilmaycare]

Tua Tagovailoa injury update: Dolphins QB won't wear Guardian Cap upon return to play, explains why

Tagovailoa is slated to return in Week 8 vs. Arizona

www.cbssports.com

Tua Tagovailoa is back in the fold for the Miami Dolphins. The club is designating him to return to practice this week and, if all goes according to plan, will start in Week 8 when the team takes on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If/when he does, however, the quarterback won't be donning a Guardian Cap. When speaking to reporters on Monday, Tagovailoa, who has been sidelined with his latest concussion, was asked if he'd sport the soft shell over his helmet.

"Nope," he said. "Personal choice."

Tagovailoa was also asked how much risk he believes he's taking by playing again.

"Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work?" Tagovailoa answered. "Get into a car crash, I don't know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we're all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it's a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There's just risk in any and everything, and I'm willing to play the odds. That's it."

To be fair, the risk of him getting a concussion with the Card's pass rush is pretty low. Week 9 he should put on the Guardian Cap though.

 

[602 Native]

He’s a grown ass man. He will decide when its time to go.

 

[Stout]

Maybe, if the league is willing to pay out his contract.

 

[kerouac9]

Maybe, if the league is willing to pay out his contract.

Yeah. The Ginger Hammer can put him on the Commissioners Exempt List. Maybe Miami has that insurance policy on Tua’s deal that will free up cap room.

It’s a real optics issue for the league; no one wants to watch this guy get hit again. Monday night a Chargers DB(?) ended up with a fencing response after taking a knee to the head. Looked awful, the cameras cut away immediately, and we never heard about it again.

 

[vince56]

To be fair, the risk of him getting a concussion with the Card's pass rush is pretty low. Week 9 he should put on the Guardian Cap though.

While funny, he’s been getting concussions when running, right? I don’t know if I want to see the aftermath of a Mack Wilson Sr or Budda Baker hit on him in the open field.

 

[Ronin]

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

More background on Tua Tagovailoa clearing the five-step return to participation concussion protocol:
-- Following Thursday's practice, Tagovailoa was examined by the independent neurological consultant and cleared.
-- He received care from top medical experts across the country, and he had frank conversations about his history and not one doc recommended he retire.
-- The decision to return was made with his doctors and his family.

 

[Cardinal88]

That means he is free game right? Although I do not want to see him injured, in the spirit of the game, I would hate to see the Cardinals take it easy on him. If they have an opportunity to hit him for a pressure or sack, they should hit with no reservations. If he takes off running and doesn’t slide, same thing.

 

[602 Native]

That means he is free game right? Although I do not want to see him injured, in the spirit of the game, I would hate to see the Cardinals take it easy on him. If they have an opportunity to hit him for a pressure or sack, they should hit with no reservations. If he takes off running and doesn’t slide, same thing.

They better hit him.

Don't want to see any of that Mahomes sideline crap.

 

[Cardinal88]

They better hit him.

Don't want to see any of that Mahomes sideline crap.

No kidding! Treat the running QB like a RB (includes Kyler too). Once they run, tackle them unless they slide.

 

[slanidrac16]

I think a couple of his concussions happened when he is hit, falls backwards and bangs his head on the turf.
I refuse to believe any athlete is going to think, “ uh oh…I can’t hit this guy to hard.”