The entire NFL world has been talking about the Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the concussion that he suffered in Thursday night’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Everyone in the entire football world started to weigh in on whether or not Tua should retire after this. Now, his former coach at Alabama Nick Saban has weighed in on what he thinks Tua should do.
Nick Saban Has Lengthy Tangent About Tua Tagovailoa’s Future
Many analysts, former coaches and players, and fans around the league have been calling for Tua to walk away after suffering a fourth concussion in three years. Others feel that he could continue to play with a major focus on avoiding any head injuries. Now his former coach Nick Saban has chimed in on the discussion in a lengthy talk.
Saban was asked on the Pat McAfee Show about how he feels about Tua’s future and what he feels Tua should do going forward. The all-time coach was very measured in his response and feels that this will all come down to a medical decision first.
“First of all, I will talk to him today. I haven’t been able to get a hold of him yet,” Saban said about his former player.
“Tua is such a great competitor, but I think this has to be a medical decision. You have to let medical people who understand the circumstances, these injuries, these concussions and when you have multiple concussions, that’s not a good sign.”
Saban feels that Tua will have to consult with medical professionals and his family of course to decide whether to return or retire, but he certainly feels that that’s a conversation that needs to be had based on the medical professionals:
“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.
“But I think that’s a medical decision. I don’t think that’s something for me to speculate on…the family should not be influenced by that. Tua should not be influenced by that. That should all be influenced by medical professionals.”
The legendary coach went on to talk about how competitive Tua is and that he does whatever it takes to win. He talked about Tua’s hip injury when he was in college and how he dealt with that:
“Even when he hurt his hip at Alabama, it was nowhere to go for the ball,” said the former coach.
“There’s no even body to throw it to, and he’s still trying to make a play and takes a hit that he doesn’t need to take…It’s the same thing as the play last night. He could have slid. He had a first down. But he’s a competitive, tough-minded guy that’s trying to set the tone for his team and ends up getting injured because of it.”
Here is Saban’s full comments:
Nick Saban on Tua Tagovailoa and the head injury he sustained last night, via @PatMcAfeeShow: pic.twitter.com/dZqjuyeEQg
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) September 13, 2024
Just as Saban said, Tua, the team, his family, and the doctors will all need to come together to make a decision on what is best for Tua and his life in terms of his future in football. At this moment, we wish Tua a speedy and comprehensive recovery.
Related: Miami Dolphins: Is It Time For Tua Tagavailoa To Walk Away From The NFL?
