Tua Tagovailoa raises money for Maui fire victims

Tua Tagovailoa grew up near Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Maui was a ferry ride away. So the scenes he’s seeing from his home area of the world are devastating.

So he’s started a fundraiser through his Tua Foundation. He shared the details on social media.

“In the wake of the Maui wildfires, our community needs us more than ever. With the strength of our ‘Ohana and the deep-rooted values of Aloha, let’s lend a helping hand to those in need. Stand with me in showing the Aloha spirit is unbreakable. 100% of all donations will go directly to support those affected in Hawaii.

Tua signed the message “Alofa atu,” which translates to “love you.”

In the wake of the Maui wildfires, our community needs us more than ever. With the strength of our 'Ohana and the deep-rooted values of Aloha, let's lend a hand to those in need. 100% of donations will directly support those affected in Hawaii.

Alofa atu,

Tua #MauiWildfires pic.twitter.com/2gMA15wjjj

— Tua. T 🇦🇸 (@Tua) August 12, 2023

Tagovailoa donated $20,000 to the fund from his own money, writing “sending love and prayers from Miami to Lahaina. #MauiStrong.”

Joe Robbie and the Gameday Foundation kicked in $500, writing “our love and support goes out to all of those that lost their homes and/or loved ones. Thank you to Tua & the foundation for putting this together.”

Nick Saban also donated to Tua Tagovailoa’s fundraiser

Alabama coach Nick Saban and former Dolphin Jason Taylor also donated money. By Tuesday morning, the fund had grown to nearly $67,000 with a goal of $100,000. More than 480 people had donated money. If you’d like to give, click it here.

The Tua Tagovailoa story is a familiar one. He was a four-star recruit and the top prospect in all of Hawaii when he graduated in 2017 from the Saint Louis School, which also produced Heisman winner Marcus Mariota three years before. He came to the mainland to play for Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Dolphins kicked off the preseason this past Friday. Miami lost to the Falcons, 19-3, in a mostly defensive affair. Coach Mike McDaniel didn’t use Tagovailoa or any of his starters. The quarterback suffered at least two concussions last season, forcing him to miss five games. That included the playoff loss to Buffalo. Without Tua, the Dolphins were 1-4 in those games.

With Tua on the sidelines, former K-State star Skylar Thompson took the first-team snaps. He completed 10 of his 16 passes for 104 yards and a couple of interceptions.

The Dolphins and Falcons did two joint practices together before the exhibition game. Here’s how Tagovailoa assessed his team’s play during an interview as part of the telecast:

“Really competitive. They’re an NFL team. They’ve got really good guys on that side of the ball,” Tagovailoa said on Friday’s television broadcast. “They made some plays. We made some plays. So, it’s always good to have good back and forth, but there’s a lot of things that were to be corrected.”