Early Retirement Not An Option For Tua Tagovailoa Amid Health Scare

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins — The parents of Tua Tagovailoa revealed that their son is still not ready to call it quits as far as the NFL is concerned. Megan Briggs/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Tua Tagovailoa not yet closing the door on a potential NFL return
Tagovailoa's parents thank the Miami Dolphins organizations and fans for their support
There is no timetable for when Tagovailoa can return to the NFL

The mystery surrounding the future of Tua Tagovailoa may have finally been put the rest after the 24-year-old went through a harrowing year of NFL football.

The fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft battled several concussions this season, but the biggest scare he had was that one against the Cincinnati Bengals.

In that game that happened in September 2022, Tagovailoa was chased down and thrown to the turf by Josh Tupou in the first half.

The 24-year-old remained down for about seven minutes and was rushed to the hospital for head and neck injuries.

Tagovailoa suffered another one when the Bengals lost to the Green Bay Packers. He hit the ground anew in the first half but somehow managed to play on.

After revealing a couple of days later that he had concussion symptoms, he ended up sitting out the rest of the season.

Given the two scary moments, word started to spread that Tagovailoa may be forced to retire. However, that does not appear to be the case.

The parents of the 2022 NFL passing rating leader, Galu and Diane Tagovailoa, said on Wednesday, January 25, that their son has zero plans to quit prematurely.

"He comes back," Galu said. "That's their guy. They love him, we love them and what they're doing and how they're helping him with his recovery and everything else trying to get him back."

The Tagovailoas are confident that their son will heal and recover despite suggestions that the player should retire.

This grew rampant after neuropathologist Bennet Omalu told TMZ that the damage the former Alabama Crimson Tide suffered may already be "irreparable."

Gula added that his son continues to go through the concussion protocol and was also grateful for the support that the Dolphins are extending to them.

"He's still going through his protocol, but we're grateful for them, too," Galu stated. "Very thankful for Miami. The organization. The owner. [Chris] Grier as a GM and head coach Mike [McDaniel]. That guy's special."

Miami's season ended with a 34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round last January 15.

With Tagovailoa out, the Dolphins turned to backup quarterback Skylar Thompson for play-making duties.