Tua Tagovailoa’s brother gives update on injured Miami QB
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa didn’t want to play in the Terrapins’ game on Saturday after seeing his brother’s frightening injury in Thursday night’s NFL contest.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion on a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Alabama All-American’s severe reaction caused him to be placed on a backboard and strapped to a stretcher before being transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
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Although Tua Tagovailoa was able to travel home with his teammates, the Dolphins have announced that he will not play in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
Taulia Tagovailoa’s fears were eased when he got to Facetime with his brother on Friday evening, then visit him in Florida after passing for 314 yards in Maryland’s 27-13 victory over Michigan State on Saturday.
“He’s doing good,” Taulia Tagovailoa told reporters on Tuesday. “Everything’s fine. My biggest thing was just seeing him and spending as much time as I can with him. I came back Sunday night.”
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While Taulia Tagovailoa said seeing his brother down on the turf at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati was “a hard scene,” his reluctance to play on Saturday wasn’t because he was thinking he might get hurt, too. The former Thompson High School standout just wanted to make sure his brother was OK.
“I really just wanted to go there and just spend time with my family and hug them,” Tagovailoa said. “But he told me he’s a big fan of us, and he’d rather watch me play on Saturday and win. …
“I wanted to go to my family and not play the game, but that would be very selfish of me, just because we put in hard work together. I know how much my team needs me. That’s also my family, too. …
“Friday, I didn’t want to play the game. Friday night, I was excited to play the game.”
Tua Tagovailoa is in his third season with Miami. Taulia Tagovailoa is in his third season with Maryland. But the brothers were teammates at Alabama in 2019.
After that season, Tua Tagovailoa joined the Dolphins as the fifth selection in the 2020 NFL Draft and Taulia Tagovailoa transferred to Maryland.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
