Calls Mount for Tua Tagovailoa to Retire After Scary Head Injury

While taking on the Buffalo Bills for their Week 2 matchup on Thursday Night Football, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was forced to leave the game in the third quarter.

With 4:37 remaining in the quarter and the Dolphins on the Bills' 13-yard line, they had no choice but to go for it on 4th-and-4. They needed a touchdown to cut into the 31-10 lead and possibly spark a late comeback, but what came next was devastating to football fans everywhere.

Tagovailoa evaded the rush and took off for the first down with his legs. He ended up lowering his head and running right into the midsection of Buffalo's Demar Hamlin. The  Hard Rock Stadium crowd instantly went silent as they watched a woozy Tagovailoa grasp for air with his hands before holding his head.

It was confirmed shortly after he left the game that it was a concussion, which isn't the first for Tagovailoa. He has had multiple scary head injuries during his NFL career, and with this latest one, fans are thinking it's time to retire for the 26-year-old.

"Tua gotta retire man. It aint worth it," wrote one fan.

"Someone needs to convince Tua to retire. Seriously, there’s so much more to life than football," added another.

"tua needs to retire dawg he cant sacrifice his physical health for the rest of his life like this," commented another.

"Tua gotta retire bro the sport is no longer worth it," wrote another fan.

Last April, Tagovailoa revealed that he did consider retiring after the 2022 season.

"Yeah, I think I considered it for a time," Tagovailoa said in 2023. "Having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations, but, really, it would be hard for me to walk away from this game 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. It's my health, it's my body, and I feel like this is what's best for me and my family. I love the game of football. If I didn't, I would've quit a long time ago."

He was put into concussion protocol twice during the 2022 season, and ended up missing four games as a result of the injuries. Tagovailoa did attempt to minimize the possibility of head injuries by training jiu-jitsu with the purpose of learning how to fall to avoid head injuries.

"Obviously, learned how to fall," Tagovailoa said when speaking about his training. "Learned some grappling techniques and learned some other things too that I don't think I should disclose. But, for the most part, learn how to fall. You think it's easy -- just don't fall and hit your head -- but there's a lot more to it."

While he did sign a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July, it is clear based on the social media reception from fans and fellow NFL stars alike, Tagovailoa walking away from football may be in his best interest.

As for the game itself, the Bills ended up winning 31-10.

Related: NFL Fans Worried About Tua Tagovailoa After Scary Head Injury in Dolphins-Bills Game