Manti Te’o became emotional on Friday, Sept. 13 while discussing his “little brother” Tua Tagovailoa’s safety following the quarterback’s latest concussion during the Thursday’s NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills.
The scary incident took place during the third quarter, when Tagovailoa, 26, collided with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. After the collision, the quarterback was then helped off the field by medical staff while his status for the rest of the ongoing 2024-2025 season remains in question.
After the game, head coach Mike McDaniel was visibly shaken by the incident but told reporters Tagovailoa was in “good spirits” following the injury.
The moment startled Te’o, who said Friday’s episode of the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football that he wanted Tagovailoa to retire from professional football after the 2022 season out of concern for his own well-being.
Te’o, a retired NFL linebacker, choked back tears as he explained how difficult it was to watch someone he’s known “since he was a little boy” suffer another injury to the head. (Both Te’o, 33, and Tagovailoa grew up playing football in Hawaii before joining the NCAA in college and later getting drafted to the NFL.)
“I want the best for Tua, the man, the father,” Te’o said, taking a moment to compose himself. “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.”
Tagovailoa’s latest concussion follows three frightening incidents during the 2022 season surrounding hits to the head. He then missed five total games and was diagnosed with two concussions, most notably when he was carted off the field during a September 2022 Thursday Night Football game.
Tua Tagovailoa being tended to by medical staff on Sept. 12, 2024.
Megan Briggs/Getty
The Good Morning Football panelist said he knows Tagovailoa is a “competitor” and “wants to win,” even pointing out that the quarterback made efforts after the 2022 season to protect himself, losing weight and even using a new helmet designed to help protect his head better.
“To see him go down like that, I don’t mean to get emotional on the show, but it was big for a family member to watch him go through that again,” Te’o said. “I just hope for my little brother that he sees — and he understands, knowing his makeup — he understands what’s important in life and I just hope that he makes the right decision.”
Tua Tagovailoa on Sept. 29, 2022. Emilee Chinn/AP/Shutterstock
Following the the end of the 2022-2023 season, Tagovailoa said he “considered”retiring from football following the concussions he endured the year prior but that his love for the game outweighed his concerns at the time.
“It’s my health. It’s my body. I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family,” he told reporters at the time. “I love the game of football. If I didn’t, I would have quit a long time ago.”
