Manti Te'o wants what is best for Tua Tagovailoa — even if that means stepping away from football for good.
The former NFL linebacker shares a close relationship with the Dolphins quarterback. Both are natives of Hawaii, and share a personal connection. Te'o has known Tagovailoa since he was a young kid in their home state, and has a bond with the Tagovailoa family.
So it was hard to watch Te'o break down close to tears on NFL Network Friday morning after Tagovailoa suffered another concussion during Miami's "Thursday Night Football" matchup against Buffalo. The quarterback was hit in the third quarter of the game and did not return.
It puts not only the rest of Tagovailoa's 2024 season in question, but also potentially his playing career. It's the third official concussion he has suffered in the last two years.
Here is more on what Te'o said about Tagovailoa after his latest head injury.
MORE: 5 best Dolphins QB options | Dolphins QB depth chart | Tua Tagovailoa concussion history
What did Manti Te'o say about Tua Tagovailoa?
Te'o was on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Friday, discussing the events that occurred on Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium with Tagovailoa. The former NFL linebacker and fellow Hawaiian got choked up talking about the Dolphins quarterback and his history of concussions.
Te'o stated that after Tagovailoa suffered his first (official) concussion in the NFL, he wanted him to step away from football. That occurred in Week 4 of the 2022 season against the Bengals.
"After he suffered the one against the Bengals I wanted him to walk," Te’o said. "What people have to understand is this is just a game and then there’s life. When you watch, when you watch a young man that you’ve known since he was a little boy go out there… is it hard for me? Yea."
While there are few players that can relate to as many serious concussion as Tagovailoa has had, plenty know what it's like to deal with one. Concussions continue to be an ongoing debate in the league, with a number of former NFLers suffering from CTE as a result of numerous head-on collisions.
Te'o dealt with concussions during his playing days, and he wonders even though the camera showed Tagovailoa alert as he walked off the field, if he even remembers getting up and leaving the playing surface.
MORE: How long is Tua Tagovailoa out for?
"For somebody who’s been in that situation who have had a concussion, I don’t even know if Tua is there as he is walking off the field," Te'o said. "There have been clips of me after concussions getting off the ground and walking off the stadium, walking into the locker room, I don’t remember those walks."
At the end of the day, Te'o, like the rest of the football world, wants the best for the Dolphins quarterback — whatever that may mean.
"I want the best for Tua, the man, the father," Te'o said. "He’s a father of two now. I want him to be able, not today, but 10, 15, 20 years down the line to be able 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."
Tua Tagovailoa hit vs. Bills
In the third quarter of the Dolphins' 31-10 loss to the Bills at home, Tagovailoa attempted to scramble for a touchdown on a fourth-and-4 from the 13-yard line. He picked up the necessary yards to move the chains, but instead of sliding, he put his head to try and get by Hamlin for the score.
As a result, his helmet went right into the chest of the Buffalo safety, knocking him to the ground.
Tagovailoa was frozen on the ground for a brief moment before exhibiting fencing posture — an "unnatural" position when the arms stiffly jut out from the body.
He stayed down on the field for a few minutes as the medical team attended to him.
Tagovailoa eventually rose to his feet and walked off the field, receiving an ovation from the crowd. He made his way to the locker room, where he was ruled out of the rest of the game with a concussion just six minutes after the hit.
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