Week 2 took a scary turn when Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa dove forward while attempting a first down and took a hit from Damar Hamlin–his third concussion in two years. The injury reignited the talks about the ugly side of playing in the NFL and the long-term risks of repeated head injuries.
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In light of this topic as Tua currently sits on IR, former Carolina Panthers QB, Cam Newton did not hold back from voicing his opinion on his 4th&1 show.
Having played in the league from 2011- 2021, Newton knows all too well the physical toll of choosing this sport. He said in a brutally honest take:
“You know you can die on this field, as we’ve seen people die before. There’s a 100% fact that while playing football, you’re going to get hurt.”
As per Newton, the moment a player steps on the gridiron, there is an unwritten agreement of knowingly accepting the risks. People only look at the shiny parts of playing in the NFL and unfortunately, nobody addresses the dark side of playing football–like fracturing bones or, suffering concussions.
However, the severity of the injury varies from player to player and that is completely uncertain.
Switching gears, Newton shifted his focus to Tua’s family–his wife, parents, siblings, and friends. All of them witnessed what Tua faced on the field in Week 2. It seemed like the 2022 NFL season all over again.
Thus, looking back at how the latest hit from Hamlin sent Tua to the ground–putting his life at risk with repeated concussions–Newton urged the Dolphins QB’s family to give him a wake-up call that it is time to hang up the cleats.
“Somebody is going to have to tell him, ‘Listen, bro, I love you. I don’t want to keep seeing you like this,'” the former QB said.
In his commentary, Newton also spoke about his son, Chosen, who injured his finger while playing football, and how he also had to have a tough conversation with his son about football.
Newton’s no-nonsense lessons to his son
Although nine-year-old Chosen’s injury was anything close to what Tua suffered, for Newton, it was lesson time.
The former Panthers star recalled how he observed Chosen running off the field while holding his hand weirdly. As a father, he knew something wasn’t right. When he asked the little one if everything was alright, Chosen showed his discolored finger- a hangnail caused by his finger getting stuck in another player’s helmet.
That is when Newton chimed in saying, “Do you want to play football or not? Because you’re gonna get hurt.”
By mentioning Chosen’s small-scale injury, Newton made it clear that whether it is a child who is starting to play football in high school or if it is an NFL star like Tua, injuries are the reality of the game.
However, for Tua, the current focus is whether continuing to play in the NFL is even worth the risk to his long-term health. It won’t be easy but as Newton rightly pointed out, the Dolphins QB has to be fit and healthy for his family and the kind of life he envisions beyond the gridiron.
