For Tua Tagovailoa, Week 2 was 2022 all over again as he took a hit from the Bills’ Damam Hamlin and a third documented concussion knocked him out in a chilling scene.
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Dallas Cowboys legend turned Sports Analyst, Michael Irvin, whose career ended prematurely in 2000 after a grave neck injury, has now voiced his concern for Tua on his YouTube Channel. Irvin looked back at his experience from a decade ago when football took a harsh toll on his health.
The NFL legend had to pick between a career he had dedicated his life to and his health and wellbeing. Tua faces an identical quandary. Speaking with raw emotions, Irvin recollected his tough decision to walk away from the game he loved so dearly:
“I know how hard it was for me to make a decision after being paralyzed. Learning that I have spinal stenosis—something I had my whole career, but I never knew it.”
In 1999, Irvin’s NFL career ended out of the blue during a Week 5 game in Philadelphia after he suffered a spinal cord injury that temporarily paralyzed him due to a herniated disc.
Further tests of an earlier herniated disc at the C-6 and C-7 vertebrae detected that Irvin had cervical spinal stenosis–a condition he unknowingly played with his whole career.
The understandable desperation after his twist in fate reached a new level when he started looking for a doctor who would clear him to play again. He even tried convincing his wife, Sandy Harrell.
“I even tried to explain it to my wife, saying, ‘I found a doctor. I think I’ll be able to play.’ Just trying to find any way to get back on the field, back to my guys, back to what defines me—who I’ve always been and the only me I know.”
However, he knew it all too well–the risks were too high. As someone who was in the Dolphins QB’s shoes 24 years ago, Irvin understands the 26-year-old’s battle ahead.
However, Irvin feels history will repeat itself–just like he once did, Tua will likely try to desperately fight his way back to the gridiron in spite of the life risks.
Tua’s decision to come back will be influenced by social media
From back-to-back championships at the University of Alabama to winning a Pro Bowl in 2023, Tua Tagovailoa has many more milestones to meet–the most elusive one being a Super Bowl title. However, all that seems to be in jeopardy now.
Irvin feels that the urge to compete, to lead, to be the player everyone knows him to be—will push Tua to come back on the field despite the risk to his health after the third diagnosed concussion. He will find it hard to accept that his body might no longer be able to play the game he loved–just as Irvin had once tried to do.
After the 2022 NFL Season, when Tua suffered two diagnosed concussions, he contemplated retirement. However, defying the odds, in April 2023, he revealed that he decided to continue playing and thankfully, stayed healthy for all of 2023.
As per Irvin, back in 1999/2000, when the Cowboys legend suffered a career-ending neck injury, things were different from what it is now.
Today, the NFL happenings are no longer just about doctors and players. It is equally shaped by public opinion where opinions on social media rule.
Thus, Irvin feels Tua’s final decision after clearing the NFL Concussion Protocol will be heavily influenced by external pressures and won’t solely rely on a doctor’s certificate.
