I’ve never had more fun watching the game of football than when Tua Tagovailoa was quarterbacking Alabama. The sheer joy in seeing him come in the game as a freshman backup for Jalen Hurts in 2017, knowing that the impossible could be realized. The 5-star from Ewa Beach was the next evolution in the Crimson Tide death machine; a program that had long won because of defense and running the football finally had a modern-day signal-caller who could let it rip.

Alabama fans, long derided by former head coach Nick Saban for leaving blowouts early, wouldn’t dare leave their seats early throughout 2017 for fear of missing a glimpse of the program’s future. Whether it was him spinning and delivering a strike against Vanderbilt, or the audible cackle Gary Danielson let out after he threw a touchdown against Tennessee, Tua was must-see TV from the moment he first stepped on the field wearing an Alabama uniform.

He delivered the most legendary moment in Alabama Football history when he came off the bench in the National Championship game against Georgia, leading the Tide back from a 13-0 halftime deficit, and then threw a walk-off touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith to win a natty.

A simple down and distance immortalized in Alabama lore forever.

Now, that feeling of joy has been replaced with existential dread every time Tua trots out on the field wearing the orange and teal colors of the Miami Dolphins. Dread that the next hit will be the last one, the one he might not get up from, or the one that prevents him from living the healthy, active lifestyle he wants into later age.

Tua suffered another concussion on Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills on a play where his competitive fire took over in an off-night when his team needed a play. He ducked his head and delivered a blow into Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s chest, with Tua’s head reverberating onto the unforgiving turf.

He stayed down on the field, his arms flaliling involuntarily, eerily reminiscent of his concussion in September of 2022 against the Bengals, also in front of a prime-time audience on Thursday Night Football.

It’s Tua’s third documented concussion in the NFL, and quite possibly his fourth. The Sunday prior to that game against Cincinnti, Tua suffered a scary hit against these same Buffalo Bills, one that was never ruled a concussion but sure looked like one. After his injury against Cincinnati, and due to the mishandling of what happened just four days prior, the NFL overhauled their concussion protocol.

This latest concussion will hopefully cause Tua to re-evaluate whether he should continue playing the game he so obviously loves. He contemplated retirement after the 2022 season. The time for contemplation is over, and it’s time for him to hang up his cleats for good. Football will always be part of who he is, and there’s plenty of ways for him to stay connected to the game. Whether that’s in Miami, back in Tuscaloosa, or back home in Ewa Beach.

He’s made his money. He’s proven he is a capable NFL quarterback. He signed a massive contract extension this offseason with the Dolphins, one that guarantees him $167 million, and assures that his kids will never want for anything for their entire lives. His NFL career hasn’t gone like he hoped, just like the end of his college career didn’t have the fairy-tale ending he wanted or fans expected. But he’s succeeded in one of the hardest professions in the world, where only the top 0.1% ever get as far as he did.

Tua is more than a football player. He’s more than a source of my own and others’ entertainment. More importantly, he’s a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and a friend. And all those close to Tua, and all those who feel close to him after watching his career, care more about Tua the person than Tua the quarterback.