Press Box: Should I play or should I go?

Andrew McGhan, Contributing Writer

Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should retire. He suffered his third concussion in four years in a Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 12. 

When Tagovailoa went down, his right arm extended out and his hands curled, a response called fencing. It is an involuntary physical position the body takes after a severe brain injury, according to Very Well Health.

Tagovailoa suffered one on a play when he ran downfield to pick up the first down, and he slid head-first into Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin, who was trying to make a tackle. Tagovailoa’s head hit Hamlin’s shoulder when they collided.

I was with some friends at a restaurant watching the game, and when the collision happened, the whole restaurant went quiet. Numerous emotions went through my mind — shock, disbelief, fear. I was scared for Tagovailoa because of his history of concussions.

After the hit, Tagovailoa was immediately attended to by the medical staff of the Dolphins and left the game. The Dolphins placed Tagovailoa on the injured reserved list on Sept. 17, according to ESPN. He is set to miss four games. 

A concussion can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is brain damage and cannot be diagnosed unless a person has passed away and a doctor assesses the brain, according to research at Boston University.

With physical injuries like a sprained wrist or a torn ACL, a doctor can identify and explain what happened to your body and then explain what you can do to recover from it. With CTE, doctors can’t fully explain the extent it affects one’s brain or body.

A person with CTE can develop symptoms of memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, suicidality, parkinsonism and progressive dementia over the course of their life, according to research at Boston University.

With how serious brain damage is and the uncertainty of CTE’s affects, he should retire. The uncertainty of his long-term health from CTE is scary, and if he were a part of my family, I would be scared for him.

Recovering from a concussion is not easy. Even with Tagovailoa sitting for four weeks, it can not guarantee that he has fully recovered.

Football is an extremely physical sport during which a player constantly puts their body at risk. No matter how many rule changes the league implements to prevent injuries — at its core, football is a modern-day gladiatorial game. The players put their bodies on the line to win a game for the fans to enjoy.

The NFL reported that the number of concussions in 2022 was 213, and in 2023 it was 219, according to The Athletic. With the violent nature of football, these numbers will only increase.

Former University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban coached Tagovailoa throughout his college career and said on the Pat McAfee show that Tagovailoa’s retirement should be a medical decision. 

“I think Tua and his family and everyone else should listen to all the medical evidence to make sure that you’re not compromising your future — health-wise — by continuing to play football,” Saban said.

Tagovailoa says he has no plans on retiring after suffering his most recent concussion on Sept. 12, according to the NFL.

I think Tagovailoa should not have given a definite answer on his football future because if my brother were to suffer his third concussion in four years, I would encourage him to retire. I would have feared for his well-being, and I wouldn’t want to see him hurt or suffer through pain.

At the end of the day, it is Tagovailoa’s decision whether or not he steps away from football. Whatever decision he makes —as long as he is at peace with it — we as fans should respect his decision.