Tua Tagovailoa leaves no room for confusion when talking about where he stands with Miami. Tagovailoa appeared on Radio Row on behalf of Subway. He says that he believes that “you’re either all in or you’re not. So, I’m all in.”
Tua Tagovailoa has dealt with a lot in the last year. After a loss to Green Bay on December 25, 2022, Tua was diagnosed with a concussion. This would contribute to his total of two (and one suspected) concussions in 2022. It also caused him to miss Miami’s final three games, as well as the Pro Bowl.
Tagovailoa was anxious to get back on the field, but Miami was more concerned with his health than his return. Tagovailoa spoke about this to the AP Pro Football Podcast on Friday:
“One of the biggest things I was trying to do was get back on the field and it was something that I had to consult with my wife, consult with my parents, my family. But at the end of the day, I think others had bigger interests in my health than I did. (I’m) talking about the Dolphins, and their whole plan was: ‘Hey, we want to just protect you from yourself and not put any pressure on you to return back for this year.’ And so, as much as I wanted to come back and a lot of the conversations that we’ve had, it’s just that’s how the cards played out.”
Tua Tagovailoa says that he’s been able to take care of himself and is “very grateful” that the Dolphins didn’t rush him back. He also said that the team not allowing him to come back was “very important.” He reflects on respect amongst teammates:
“In a game like this where masculinity is everything and how you portray yourself in a building like that, you either earn respect from your guys or you lose respect. There’s no ‘I respect you, but.’ It’s either you do, or you don’t. And so having the doctors and all of those guys being able to kind of help take a lot of the load off with all that pressure has been really good.”
Tagovailoa had a career high of 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns, as well as an NFL-best 105.5 passer rating.
It’s not much of a shocker that Tua is “all in” with Miami. His family has also been vocal about the certainty of Tagovailoa’s return to Miami.
Tua Tagovailoa’s parents express gratitude for overwhelming support from #Hawaii and beyond throughout Tua’s adversities this past season, have no doubts that he will return as #Dolphins quarterback in 2023 #NFLHawaii @TuaFoundation @PolynesianFBHOF 🤙🏽 @AHoshidaSports pic.twitter.com/RaZaPhUOg9
— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) January 26, 2023
Many say despite the injuries, Tua Tagovailoa proved himself worthy of the Dolphins’ respect. He is undoubtedly ready to return to the field to maintain this momentum.
