It's the question on everybody's mind. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is at a crossroads following the frightening concussion he sustained on Thursday Night Football. The 26-year-old signal caller can either continue playing football and risk suffering another head injury, or hang up his jersey.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce believes Tagovailoa should do the latter.
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"I'll be honest, I'd just tell him to retire," Pierce told the media on Friday. "It's not worth it. Playing the game, I haven't witnessed anything like I've seen that's happened to him three times. Scary. You could see right away the player's faces on the field, you could see the sense of urgency from everybody to get Tua help. He's going to live long and he's going to play football. Take care of your family."
In Thursday's Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Miami signal-caller sustained a concussion in the third quarter of the game. Tagovailoa scampered toward the end zone in an attempt to secure a first down, but rushed head first into the chest of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Players immediately took a knee as a result of the scary incident.
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It was the quarterback's third concussion of his professional career, which is an unprecedented number for an NFL passer. Tagovailoa sustained two concussions in a multi-week span in 2022.
The 31-10 loss to the Bills seemed irrelevant in light of the Dolphins' present situation with their leader of the offense.
Head coach Mike McDaniels wouldn't speak on his quarterback's potential retirement postgame.
"I think it'd be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject," McDaniel told the media. "It's more in line with actually caring about the human being. You're talking about his career ... I totally get that's where people want to go to, but I wish people would hear what I am saying, bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him. I am going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care that should be the last thing on your mind."
Following the team's concussion protocols, Tagovailoa will arrive at a crossroads. It's a tough decision, but Pierce believes the Dolphins' quarterback should hang up his jersey for the sake of himself and his loved ones.
At the end of the day, like McDaniel so eloquently said, Tagovailoa will have to make the best decision for himself and his family.