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Manti Te’o, a former NFL player and close friend of Tua Tagovailoa, emotionally opened up on the Miami Dolphins quarterback’s concussion ordeal.
Tagovailoa slammed to the turf following a hit by Damar Hamlin during the third quarter of the Miami Dolphins ‘ loss to the Buffalo Bills and appeared to go straight into the fencing response.
It was the signal caller’s third known concussion of his NFL career, having suffered a history of head injuries dating back to 2022.
The scary scenes Thursday night had many fans and even former players calling for Tagovailoa to walk away from the game for his own safety.
And Te’o, who has known the quarterback since childhood, tearfully urged Tagovailoa to make ‘the right decision.’
Manti Te’o was visibly emotional as he discussed friend Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion
Tagovailoa took a hit by Bills safety Damar Hamlin at the end of the third quarter Thursday
‘Seeing him go down like that… I don’t mean to get emotional on the show, but it was big for a family member to watch him go through that again,’ a visibly emotional Te’o said on Good Morning Football.
‘I’m just so grateful that the NFL community has rallied around Tua. I just hope that my little brother makes the right decision.
The 33-year-old also revealed he already issued a similar plea to his ‘little brother’ following his health scares two years ago.
‘After he suffered the [concussion] against the Bengals, I wanted him to walk,’ Te’o said, referring to Tagovailoa’s 2022 concussion scare. ‘It was hard.’
The former NFL linebacker had to pause as he became choked up and almost broke down into tears.
‘What people have to understand, this is just a game. Then there is life,’ he continued after composing himself.
‘And when you watch [that happen] to a man you’ve known since you were a little boy, is it hard for me? Yeah.’
‘I can’t even imagine how hard it is for Uncle Galu and Auntie Diane to watch their son go down again,’ the former second-round pick added of the quarterback’s parents.
The former NFL player had to pause as he became choked up and almost broke down into tears
The 33-year-old added it was a ‘huge relief’ to see Tagovailoa stand up after the incident.
‘I don’t even know if Tua was there, when he’s walking off the field,’ the former Maxwell Award winner said.
‘There are times I’ve had concussions, where I’ve walked off the field, into the locker room. And I don’t remember those walks.
‘To see my brother go down like that… I want Tua the father to be able to, not today, but 10, 15, 20 years down the line 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.’
Tagovailoa collided with Bills safety Hamlin in the open field and led with his head instead of sliding. The signal caller went down after the collision, slamming his head on the Hard Rock turf.
He has now suffered three known concussions in the NFL, after his 2022 season was cut short by head injuries.
In Week 3 of that year, he was rocked by a huge tackle and went into the fencing response, but later returned to the game.
In Week 4, he exhibited concussion symptoms again after another brutal hit and was stretchered from the field.
The Dolphins quarterback suffered a concussion – the third known of his NFL career
Tagovailoa was able to leave the field under his own steam, before returning to the locker room
Later in the season, in Week 16, he suffered yet another concussion, which ended his season, and sparked a change to the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Te’o played eight seasons in the NFL after being selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 38th pick in the 2013 Draft.
He played collegiately at Notre Dame where he became one of the biggest scandals to rock college football.
Te’o was catfished by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who has since come out as a trans woman and uses she/her pronouns, who used a fake persona of Lennay Kekua to become involved in an online relationship with the linebacker.
He believed Kekua had died of Leukemia until he received a phone call in December of 2012 from Kekua claiming she wasn’t dead. He believed it to be U’ilani, Kekua’s purported sister.
Te’o claimed he didn’t discover the full extent of the hoax until an article was published by Deadspin revealing Kekua never existed.
Former NFL star Dez Bryant led the charge of calls for his retirement on social media as Tagovailoa was led out of the game Thursday night.
‘That’s it,’ Bryant wrote. ‘NFL go ahead and do the right thing. Tua has had entirely way too many concussions. He need to retire for his longevity health concerns.’
As the signal caller left the field, McDaniel emotionally planted a kiss on his head
NFL legend Shannon Sharpe echoed Bryant’s sentiments, saying: ‘Really hope Tua is ok, but he’s gotta seriously think about shutting it dwn. I H8 saying this. His concussions are getting worse and worse and he’s a young man with his entire life ahead of him.’
Patrick Mahomes tweeted three praying emojis after Tagovailoa was removed from the contest.
However, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel refused to discuss the possibility of Tagovailoa hanging up his cleats as he insisted it has the player’s decision to make.
‘I think it would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject,’ the 41-year-old said when pressed on the question of Tagovailoa walking away from the game Friday.
‘It’s more in line of actually caring about the human being. You’re talking about his career. His career is his.
‘I totally get that’s where people want to go. I just wish, for a second, people would hear what I’m saying—that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him.
‘I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care that should be the last thing on your mind.
Many fans and former players called for the signal caller to walk away from the game
‘If I were to answer that question and he read it, whether he agreed or disagreed, it would make him worse.
‘I don’t think it’s appropriate because of my care and regard . I don’t think those types of conversations when you’re talking about someone’s career… I think it’s only fair that their career should be decided by them.’
McDaniel did admit that Miami has a plan in place for the short-term future. The coach revealed that the team would be moving forward with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson but will bring in another quarterback for depth.
The Dolphins have Tim Boyle signed to their practice squad, while the team’s 2012 first-round pick Ryan Tannehill is currently a free agent and could be a viable option.
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