I love football and the Dolphins, but hope Tua never plays again

I love the game of football. I played it until I was almost 30 years old.

I am also a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan – and I hope Tua Tagovailoa never plays football again.

I mentioned all of those facts about me so you understand where I’m coming from and recognize my biases. I certainly have them and despite these biases, I still arrived here, wishing Tua would retire.

He was the most accurate quarterback in the NFL last year. His efficiency and ability to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately led to the most exciting Miami football season since the turn of the century.

The Dolphins have been a disaster of a franchise for much of my life. They had one of the best quarterbacks the game has ever known, but never could surround him with a defense or running game good enough to win when it mattered. That quarterback – Dan Marino - retired, and then we got one of the best running backs in the league because nobody does irony like the Miami Dolphins.

It wasn’t until last year that they really began winning again. They obviously got some victories over the years, but I mean winning in a way that gave us fans hope for potential playoff success.

For that hope to live on, based on the talent at quarterback in Miami combined with the amount of money promised to him, it is absolutely in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins and their fans if Tua Tagovailoa continues playing football.

As I mentioned before, I am not only a fan of the game, but I played it. I know all too well not only the pain that can follow you around into your 40s, but the pride and ability to work within a team that accompanies you through life as well. I love this game.

Despite all of this, I truly do hope that Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t play another snap.

I recognize that I am rooting against my own best interest, but I don’t want to see his body do that thing. You know that thing I’m talking about right?

It’s called “decorticate posture” and several things can cause it, not just concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. They can also be caused by things like strokes, brain, bleeds, tumors, severe infections and lead poisoning. These all seem really bad and should be avoided.

We’ve watched his arms lock, his fingers curl, his body spasm and his teammates watch him lay prone on the ground while they literally pray he emerges from this traumatic brain injury without long term effects. I don’t want to see it again, especially not from him.

I desperately want to see the Miami Dolphins have some success, but not if it means potentially seeing Tua demonstrate decorticate posture. The man has a right to do what is best for him and his family.

I respect him, his ability to choose for himself and his desire to be there for his teammates. I genuinely like what I have seen of him as a person. Maybe that is another reason why I personally hope his football career is over and that long-term, he is okay.