In an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" Friday, former Alabama football coach Nick Saban said former Crimson Tide and current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's future in the NFL after his third reported concussion should be based on "a medical decision."
"Tua's such a great competitor, but I think this had to be a medical decision," Saban said. "I mean, you have to let medical people who understand the circumstances behind these injuries, these concussions. When you have multiple concussions, it's not a good sign. And I think Tua and his family and everyone else should listen to all the medical evidence to make sure you're not compromising your future, health-wise, by continuing to play football."
Tagovailoa was removed from Thursday night's Dolphins-Bills game in the third quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game with a concussion.
Saban said he has not spoken to Tagovailoa after his latest concussion.
"This guy is a great competitor. And one thing he does not know how to do is give up on a play," Saban said. "Even when he hurt his hip at Alabama, there was nowhere to go with the ball. (Henry) Ruggs was the receiver. He fell down. So there's nobody to throw to and he's still trying to make a play and takes a hit that he didn't need to take. I hate that he got hurt, and I wish I would have taken him out of the game. Hindsight's always 20-20.
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"And it's the same thing with the play last night. He could have slid. He had the first down, but he's a competitive, tough-minded guy that's trying to set the tone for his team and ends up getting injured because of it."
Tagovailoa was hit by Bills safety Damar Hamlin . Tagovailoa lowered his head and collided with Hamlin before the Dolphins quarterback hit his head again on the turf. He was able to walk off the field on his own.
In the Dolphins' 31-10 loss Thursday, Tagovailoa finished with 145 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, completing 17 of 25 pass attempts.
Tagovoiloa had two confirmed concussions in 2022: Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals and on Christmas Day vs. the Green Bay Packers .
In three seasons at Alabama, Tagovailoa had 7,443 passing yards, 96 touchdowns - 87 passing and 9 rushing - and 11 interceptions. As a sophomore in 2018, he led the SEC in completion percentage (69%), passing yards (3,966) and passing touchdowns (43). He earned All-American and SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting to Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray .
Tagovailoa was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and has been the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins for five seasons.
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension before the 2024 season July 26. Tagovailoa has $167 million guaranteed.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban on former Alabama football QB Tua Tagovailoa
