The Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-10 on Week 2’s edition of Thursday Night Football, but the only thing that really mattered was the health and well-being of Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins quarterback went down in the third quarter after a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin, taking a blow to the head and then immediately going into a fencing posture, signaling a serious head injury. Tagovailoa has a history of concussions during his time in the NFL, and this latest one has led the entire NFL community to question whether or not he should step away from the game to focus on his long term health.
Some of the most poignant comments came from Good Morning Football analyst Manti Te’o. The longtime NFL linebacker and star at Notre Dame is close friends with Tagovailoa and his family as both are Hawaii natives. And on Friday’s edition of GMFB, Te’o got choked up as he talked about Tua and his family and the impact of his latest concussion.
“After he suffered the one against the Bengals I wanted him to walk,” Te’o said before becoming emotional and pausing his thoughts.
“What people have to understand is this is just a game and then there’s life. When you watch, when you watch a young man that you’ve known since he was a little boy go out there… is it hard for me? Yea.”
“For somebody who’s been in that situation who have had a concussion, I don’t even know if Tua is there as he is walking off the field. There have been clips of me after concussions getting off the ground and walking off the stadium, walking into the locker room, I don’t remember those walks,” Te’o said.
“I want the best for Tua, the man, the father. He’s a father of two now. I want him to be able, not today, but 10, 15, 20 years down the line to be able to raise his children, to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle. That’s what I want for Tua, that’s true joy.”
Te’o ended by saying the decision is ultimately going to be up to Tua Tagovailoa to decide what his future career in the NFL will be, if there is one at all. But at this point, the football world is united in hoping and praying for the best for his health, his humanity, and his family. And seeing someone so close to Tua as Manti Te’o is made that hit home in a powerful way.
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