At the time I’m writing this I’m anxiously awaiting the return of Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa as the starting QB of the Miami Dolphins.
Even if you don’t follow football at all you’ve probably heard of Tua. He is the football player who was carried off the field on a stretcher after lying on the field for what felt like forever with his arms/ hands in those weird positions. It’s very likely he suffered two concussions in a week, having looked very wobbly after a hard hit in a game just a few days prior. The NFL quickly announced updates and changes to their concussion protocols which are probably long overdue. There have been a record number of NFL players leaving games for suspected concussions since that night- it’s even been called “The Tua Effect”.
But on October 23rd Tua will be making his return to the starting lineup after getting second, third, and fourth opinions from doctors who all cleared him to return.
Maybe you think that’s great. Maybe you think that’s awful. I don’t know how I feel about it. I am a die hard Phins fan so I want their best players on the field. And Tua is their best QB. But I understand that, Tom Brady notwithstanding, an NFL career is pretty short. Tua will have many more years as a former / retired player than an active one. And it would be nice if he had full use of his mental facilities past his 30th birthday (he’s 24 now).
But at the end of the day, this is what Tua wants to do. He has free will. I just hope that by the time you are reading this it doesn’t look like he made the wrong decision.
Photo by César Hernández on Unsplash