Tua Tagovailoa's Dad Opens Up About His Son's Battle With Concussions

When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in the Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, many former NFL players and pundits questioned if the quarterback should retire from football due to his lengthy history with head injuries.

Tagovailoa's most recent concussion kept him sidelined for over a month. After returning in Week 7, the quarterback quickly shut down any speculation or thoughts of retirement. "It never stuck in my mind that I was ever thinking of retiring," Tagovailoa told ESPN. "Whether the doctors told me that or not, it would have just been information for me."

Though Tagovailoa remains adamant about playing football, his dad, Galu, admits it's not easy watching his son endure those types of injuries.

“It’s tough for any parent to go through something like this," Galu told ESPN Honolulu this week. "... As a father, you’re like 'man, you’ve got to take care of your health. That’s the most important thing. You have a family.' I have two beautiful grandkids and that’s something I’ve got to talk to him about."

Ultimately, Galu knows decisions regarding Tagovailoa's career remain up to his son and his family. "Tua is now married. He has his own family. And these are some of the toughest things that’s he going to have to deal with in life, to decide whether he’s going to continue or the game is something that he loves."

What has helped reassure Galu is seeing how much his son loves and wants to continue playing football.

"One of the things that I talked to him when he was going through his concussion was, 'what do you think?' and [Tua] is like, 'Dad, I love this game. And I'll die on the field for this game.'... Tua grew up in a way that everything is just so competitive," Galu recalled. "He just don't want to leave the game, [Tua] loves it. That answers everything for me."

“Tua grew up in a way that everything is just so competitive. You don’t want to leave the game the kid loves."