After Tua Tagovailoa Rejected $125 Advice, Dolphins QB’s “Go Screw Yourself” Raises Veteran Analyst’s Eyebrows

Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t care about the outside noise. He’s locked into what he wants to do, and it seems like he’s self-aware of the consequences of any further injuries that aggravate his previous concussions. At this point, people cannot put their finger on whether Tagovailoa returning to the NFL is good or bad.

Regardless of the noise, the Dolphins QB is doubling down on his stance. To add more sizzle to the boiling pot of controversies around him, he said that he won’t be wearing a guardian cap. Can a $125 piece of equipment make a life-or-death difference? It certainly can. But we know that he’s made up his mind and at this point, there’s no use of imploring him to hold back.

Just like every fan and analyst, Mike Florio was shaken after hearing the Dolphins QBs decision. However, he knows what Tua “signed up for.” Getting banged up is a part of the deal. But that doesn’t stop the NBC analyst from feeling “queasy” about the QB hurling himself to the front line and throwing every caution to the wind.

“There’s a disconnect Devin [McCourty] as I see and hear this young man basically standing up to and holding a hand out to the reality that he will have more likely than not more head injuries if he keeps playing football because it’s one of the most common risks that a player is going to face,” Florio said to Devin McCourty on Pro Football talk on NFL on NBC.

Tagovailoa was in full force in the week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills when he suffered a concussion. The injury came when the QB scrambled to gain a first down. He bumped into Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin and went down immediately. It felt scary for a moment because his hand seemed locked in position. This indicated a brief loss of consciousness.

Mike Florio had seen enough of Tagovailoa getting banged up over a couple of years. He couldn’t help but question the support system around him. It hurts the analyst to watch the Miami Dolphins quarterback “disregard” all the warnings. He had them all in front of him.

“Should there be someone to protect him from himself? I don’t know. But as a bystander, as an observer, as an analyst, it makes me queasy to see him behaving with that level of disregard. Deliberate and conscious ‘go screw yourself if you question me’ disregard for his health,” Florio further added.

Tagovailoa announced recently that he’ll be back to play in the matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. His return prompted even more unanswered questions.

Tua Tagovailoa’s frantic return sparks more controversies

Rehashing what Florio said before, isn’t there someone who can protect the Dolphins QB? He took to the podium after a long time and the journalists there asked him many burning questions. One of those questions was whether he’ll be wearing a guardian cap in the upcoming game. His answer was a straight-up “no.”

But why does he want to refrain from using a $125 contraption? That will only help him absorb 10-20% of blows at NFL speeds. A guardian cap will help the quarterback to more effectively manage the blows in case hits himself in the head again.

The reason? Well, it seemed like he didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. He just dubbed his decision a “personal choice.” Maybe he has taken the onus on him to lift the 2-4 Miami Dolphins back from the dead again. This is because, at this rate, the Dolphins cannot even have a winning season. Forget about the playoffs.

The Dolphins QB “appreciates” everyone who is concerned about him. But his return is not to prove a point. It’s solely because of his love for the game. At least that’s how he put it when he said, “I love this game, and I love it to the death of me. That’s it.” While the Miami head coach is leaning on the experts to clear Tagovailoa for Sunday’s matchup, it’s imperative that he goes through some sort of physical activity to prove that he’s right.

“Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday, and the clearing doesn’t come until after some of the activity,” Mike McDaniel said. “But we’re obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined.”

Tagovailoa has now suffered three concussions in his time in the NFL and that’s 3 too many. The policy required him to sit out for four weeks. It seems like he doesn’t want to waste any more time just mucking about. However, we can’t help but think that Tua was trying to play a hero. He might just be stemming from his 4-year $212.4 million contract extension that he might feel a need to justify.

There have been worse contracts in the history of the NFL but none risking your life over. Do you think Tua should be back so early? Let us know below.