Tua Tagovailoa, who was diagnosed with multiple concussions during the 2022 season, briefly considered retiring, he admitted Wednesday.
“I considered it for a time,” the 25-year-old said, noting that he spoke with his wife and family about the possibility.
“But, really, it would be hard for me to walk away from this game,” he continued. “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 his dad do.”
Tagovailoa said that he spoke with neurologists about continuing to play.
He said the experts told him that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease known as CTE that has been found in multiple former NFL players after their deaths, was not a major worry because he doesn’t get hit as often as other players. Tagovailoa said he barely gets hit throughout practices, the offseason and during training camp.
“It’s my health, it’s my body and you know, I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family,” he said. “I love the game of football. If I didn’t, I would have quit a long time ago.”
Tagovailoa missed several games last season while he was in the NFL’s concussion protocol. During a September game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa was slammed down to the turf and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
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