Tua Tagovailoa was limited to 13 games during the 2022 season due to head injuries. The former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft suffered concussions against the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots that kept him on the sidelines, and he also made headlines when he struggled to walk off the field against the Buffalo Bills earlier in the year, although the team said that was due to a back problem.
The one against the Bengals, in particular, led to controversy, as Tagovailoa had to be carted off the field and the league responded with changes to its concussion protocol. And during a meeting with the media on Wednesday, Tagovailoa revealed that he mulled walking away from the NFL altogether.
Via ESPN:
“I considered it for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations,” Tagovailoa said. “But it would be really hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am, with my son.
“I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching, that he’s watching his dad. It’s my health, it’s my body and I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family.”
Tagovailoa went on to say that he spoke to experts who assured him that “CTE wasn’t gonna be a problem.” Tagovailoa completed 64.8 percent of his passes last season for 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a league-best 105.5 passer rating.