NFL insider Ian Rapoport already reported that Tua Tagovailoa has zero plans of retiring, and is doing everything he can to come back to the field as soon as possible. However, now the Miami Dolphins have replaced Tua on the IR, and he will have at least a month to work back from the concussion he suffered.
Miami Dolphins Place Tua Tagovailoa On IR
While Tua plans to make his comeback, he will do so on the IR. Rapoport reported earlier this week that Tua is not even considering retirement. On the IR, he will have at least a month if not more, to work his way back from the brutal concussion he suffered on Thursday night.
“Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire, sources say. He’s already begun seeing concussion specialists and will continue to do so, but there is no timeline to return. Tua will be back when he and his doctors deem him healthy and ready,” he reported.
It makes sense that Miami would make this move given Tua’s history with concussions. There were an incredible amount of fans and former players calling for the quarterback to think about retirement, but if he is planning to come right back, Miami made a great decision in making sure he has plenty of time to heal and think about how he wants to make changes in his game.
The fact is that this cannot happen again to Tua, as he suffered at least three now in his career and potentially more. Tua needs time to not only heal but also think about how he played last season and why that led him to be healthy all year. Fans around the league are all voicing their approval for this move by Miami.
NFL World Reacts To Miami Dolphins Decision
Tua will have to get medical clearance in order to return to the field, and all of those tests will go down while he is on the IR for the next four games at least. Many players and analysts around the NFL have been calling for Tua to think about retirement including Tua’s own mother.
NFL coach Antonio Pierce, all-time tight end Tony Gonzales, and many others agreed with that:
“I’ll be honest, I’d tell him to retire. It’s not worth it,” Pierce said. “I just think at some point, he’s going to live longer than he’s going to play football. Take care of your family.”
Tony Gonzalez added: “If I’m him, at this point, I’m seriously considering retiring from football. If that was my son, I’d be like, ‘It might be time.’ This stuff is not what you play around with.”
Fans around the NFL are applauding Miami for this move as it will give Tua time to not only heal but really contemplate how he is going to stay out of these situations moving forward. If his own family is calling for him to retire, this will be a great time to figure out many things.
Here are the best fan reactions to the news:
“Good decision by the team and Tua,” a fan wrote. “Give him some time to meet with specialists.”
“Let him recover and weigh up his options with medical professionals and his family,” a fan said. “Bigger than football.”
“It’s Tua’s call at the end of the day, and I accept and respect that. If he wants to play, he’ll play,” a fan wrote. “But to be honest, I’ll feel really really uneasy if he trots back out on the field again. He seems like a good guy, I don’t want his life permanently ruined.”
“Take care of yourself, Tua,” a fan advised.
Miami signed another quarterback in Tyler Huntley but the team will be going with Skylar Thompson in week 3. Miami will have a lot of winable games while Tua is out, but hopefully, the Dolphins’ quarterback takes as much time as he needs to prepare to come back to the field. The soonest he could return is in week 7.
