Antonio Pierce to Tua Tagovailoa after concussion: 'I'd tell him to retire, it's not worth it'
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said Friday he would advise Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to retire after he suffered a concussion in Thursday’s 31-10 Week 2 home defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
Pierce added he’s never “witnessed anything” like he’s seen with Tagovailoa in his time in the NFL.
“I’ll be honest, I’d tell him to retire,” Pierce said, via Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s not worth it. To play the game — I haven’t witnessed anything like I’ve seen that’s happened to him three times. Scary. You can see right away the players’ faces on the field, the sense of urgency from everybody to get Tua help. I just think at some point, he’s gonna live longer than he’s gonna play football. Take care of your family.”
Tagovailoa, 26, left the game late in the third quarter after scrambling for a first down and lowering his head to initiate contact with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Immediately after the impact, Tagovailoa’s body showed the fencing posture. After being tended to by the Dolphins’ medical staff, Tagovailoa was able to walk off the field and head to the locker room under his own power. Miami diagnosed him with the third known concussion of his NFL career.
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Tua Tagovailoa adds to troubling injury history
Tagovailoa suffered his first concussion in Week 3 of the 2022 season against the Bills. He briefly left the game but returned later. The Dolphins cleared Tagovailoa four days later and he suited up against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the second quarter of that game, Tagovailoa hit his head on the ground in violent fashion, rendering him unconscious for a brief moment. He had to be stretchered off the field. Tagovailoa suffered another concussion on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers.
After the NFL and NFLPA launched a joint investigation into the Dolphins’ handling of Tagovailoa injury, the NFLPA fired the unaffiliated neurological consultant who cleared Tagovailoa to return to the game against Buffalo. The league then altered its concussion policy, giving spotters the ability to have players removed from games if they exhibit concussion symptoms.
Tagovailoa, who returned to play in all 17 games this past season, said he considered retirement after the 2022 campaign. Many former players have suggested that Tagovailoa strongly think about retiring after his latest concussion. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, however, isn’t ready to have those conversations.
“I totally get that’s where people want to go,” McDaniel said. “I just wish, for a second, people would hear what I’m saying. Bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him.”