WATCH: Tua Tagovailoa explains new outlook on life after becoming a father, details offseason plans
Few players in the National Football League had such an up-and-down year as Tua Tagovailoa had with the Miami Dolphins during the 2022-2023 season. While he experienced the highs of setting records and capping off prolific comebacks, he also dealt with the serious physical trauma that comes with suffering three concussions in the same season.
While many people across the country have pondered whether or not the former Alabama star would retire at the end of the year, Tagovailoa and his family assured everyone that he will indeed be playing in the NFL next year. This week on the “Up and Adams” Show with Kay Adams, the quarterback explained his new outlook on life after becoming a dad and talked about his offseason plans.
First he discussed his new perspective on life after becoming a father. “It changes your lens on everything and I would say for me, most importantly, how you talk to people, how you treat people. How you look at other kids now. Just life through a different lens. Life becomes enhanced,” Tagovailoa said.
Then, Kay Adams pressed Tagovailoa on the most difficult question regarding the concussions. She asked if having three concussions in one season made him want to take a step back from the game and retire. “Well, no. I don’t think it makes me want to or it forces me to be afraid of wanting to come back and play. It definitely makes me want to do things to help myself by hopefully not being in those positions next year. So, you know, we’ve got like a plan setup and I’ll be doing judo on Fridays just so that I can kinda figure out, understanding my body and how to fall, and things like that,” Tagovailoa said.
In 13 games this year, Tagovailoa threw for 3,548 passing yards, while tossing in 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His medical history is certainly troubling. And while many experts across the country have called upon the former Alabama star to hang up the cleats for good, he’s decided to press forward. For his sake, we can only hope that he’ll be able to stay healthy for the 2023-2024 season.
We’ll have to see how the rest of his career plays out. For now, he’ll still face plenty of questions about his physical fragility and his body being able to withstand the brutal physical punishment that comes with playing in the National Football League.