Tua Tagovailoa Says He Considered Retiring From NFL Following Concussions

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa revealed that he considered retiring from the NFL following last season, which saw him suffer multiple concussions and a mid-game hospitalization.

“Yeah, I think I considered it, you know, for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations,” said Tagovailoa on Wednesday, per NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. “Really, it would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am, with my son. I always dreamed of growing — playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do. Yeah, I mean it’s my health, it’s my body. I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family. I love the game of football. If I didn’t I would have quite a long time [ago].”

Ultimately the 25-year-old QB has decided to keep his career going after speaking with various medical experts who have said his Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy won’t get in the way because as a quarterback he’s not “constantly” hitting his head. He’ll still need to minimize his head injuries in the next season, and as part of his training, Tua has started taking lessons in jiu-jitsu.

“Obviously learned how to fall,” Tagovailoa added. “Learned some grappling techniques. Learned some other things too that I don’t think I should disclose. But for the most part, learned how to fall. You think it’s easy. Just don’t fall and hit your head. But [there’s] a lot more to it … We barely get hit throughout practices until the season starts. With jiu-jitsu, I’ve been thrown airborne, I’ve been put in many uncomfortable positions for me to learn how to fall and try to react throughout those positions that I’m getting thrown around in.”