The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: Tua Tagovailoa...

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

Today's cast: Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Jeremy, Jessica, and Mike. Here we are again after yet another concussion for Tua Tagovailoa. Dan and Stu are here on a Friday with the Shipping Container and discuss every aspect of what it felt like to watch Tua down on the field before leaving the game and what it means for both his and the Miami Dolphins future. Could this have ever been prevented? Have we ever watched a player with the same concern as we watch Tua? Could he step away from the game? Should he? Then, the crew dives into the x's and o's of what happened on the field prior to the injury as Mike McDaniel's offense struggled and Josh Allen and the Bills continued to own Miami. Plus, Chris and Jeremy are in very different places as Dolphins fans after Tua's injury with one of them wanting to rely on the doctors and another hoping to never see him on the field again. Are both of their feelings valid in this scenario? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. often as you'd like? Or has that sense of curiosity been left behind? Kids are always learning, always growing, but as adults sometimes we lose that spark. What's something you've been wanting to pick up? Gardening, a new language, maybe finally beat your best friend in bowling. Therapy can help you reconnect with that sense of wonder. Your back-to-school era can start at any age. Better help, because learning and growing should never stop. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give Better Help a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists

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Shadow in it. I hadn't seen any of the commercials for Tulsa King before last night. That's not something that I knew existed before last night, even though it's in its third season. I don't watch a ton of Prime. Well, I thought you would know that. Yeah, it's Stallone.

He is now 78 years old. He's my father's age. I thought you were just miss saying Tiger King. The reason that I thought of Stugatz during it is because the commercial for Tulsa King was Stallone being asked what he knows about turbines and then responding with I know they blow. And I'm like that is a Stugatz show

if I have ever seen one right there. Stallone's still playing the hits. It's 78 years old. And people are still buying it. I mean, yes. That's what I know about the Dolphins. Mm-hmm. I also. Wait, I don't get it.

Saw a great story yesterday, the biggest and most important story from yesterday, and I want more information on this. The more you can give me, the better. A twins sixth round pick was basically after being drafted in the sixth round, two months later is playing in a playoff game and now the Twins have released him

because they found out he was telling the opposing team as the catcher what pitches were coming. And I just need more information On why it is was he gambling on the game was he like? I don't know anything other than a headline on this story I need some information on this story the speculation is he just wanted the season to end there are reports He'd been telling teammates and coaches alike that he just was hoping the season would end a little sooner Well, but you're giving guys longer at bats and more offense.

It'll go quicker if you get them out. It's not efficient, I mean. Not if the twins make the playoffs, you know. Yeah, the Twinkies. This guy's a hero. Less games is what he wanted. You can't play for a team after that, can you? Like, how good do you have to be in order for that to be on your resume

and you get to keep having a career after that? You have to be better than a sixth-round pick, do you have to be in order for that to be on your resume and you get to keep having a career After that you have to be better than a sixth round pick Do you know what did he have like a vacation planned or something? Like what did he have to get to? Just how did you enjoy being at the dolphin game yesterday? It was so brutally hot out Remember when we were like, oh, well, it's at night. So it won't be as bad. I Remember when we were like, oh, well, it's at night, so it won't be as bad. I don't know why you guys thought that. I think we should rename Dolphin Stadium the Swamp.

I think that the Hurricanes should take that back with them after beating Florida that way. We did. We took that in Tom Petty. That's right. This is the Don Leventor Show with the Stugats Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by Dugats Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by DraftKings.

Stay tuned because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout the show. DraftKings, the crown is yours. I want to put last night's game result off to the side for a second, Dugats. And I also want to put off to the side just the season, the football season. And I just want for a moment to absorb the idea of an NFL head coach kissing a helmetless player on the top of the head and all of us watching that

and seeing a care for someone that we are more concerned about when it comes to brain injury than anyone in that violent sport. We don't know the effects empirical of concussions. We do know, according to data and people who know more about this stuff than we do that Tua is more susceptible after having had them to concussions Then he would be if we hadn't already seen the physical manifestations of a seizure arm and all of us having the same reaction to what looked like a fairly benign hit that he went looking for and then all of us are watching a football game where

I can say the following and everyone is not stunned by it a player who was dead on the field last season and forced a games cancellation hit another player in a way that didn't look that violent to any of us to a seeking that contact. And the result was again, not merely a concussion, Stugatz, because I thought he could have been

concussed on the pick six because I'm worried about him. It's like watching something that's made of porcelain shake in an earthquake. I'm worried about him in the pocket, outside the pocket. Anytime he runs, I don't want him running. I'm not watching football this way with anybody else, Stu Gotts. And when he initiates the hit and is on the field, he then gives you the hand gestures

where you're diagnosing him on your television because it's that obvious that this person that you're concerned about has now damaged his brain again. And I just don't know what to do with that. I know people care about the result last night and statement game and does it ruin the season and do you have to get another quarterback and all that stuff, but in the middle of it,

what am I supposed to do with and how are we supposed to discuss that we love this wonderful thing that grabs us on Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays. And I can say that a player who was dead on the field last season injured another one whose brain I'm worried about more than anyone else in that sport and the result is a very human coach kissing a player on the head as if he's a child in a little league game. It was kind of an amazing moment to see Mike McDaniel and just see the the emotion from him the rest of the game. He was in another place. He was concerned about his friend. He was concerned about Tua. He was concerned about the guy that has taken this journey

with him since he became Dolphins head coach. Dan, like you say the obvious things. It's a violent sport and some guys get through it, fairly unscathed and some guys don't. And Tua obviously is one of the guys that has not been able to get there. But what I'm, I guess what I'm asking you is how am I supposed to discuss the following?

Like when is the proper care to show on this? You had a game last night that revealed to you yet again how flimsy the foundation is that everything the Dolphins are built is on. You got a wide receiver who's reckless and can get in trouble at any time that you've given a ton of money. You've got a quarterback you've given a ton of money that all of last season helped us forget that this was a possibility and then you gave him the money. So you've got the foundation over here and it seems secondary to somebody is playing through brain problems that are problematic and noticeable to all in a way that can't

even be hidden by football, which has for a long time, Stu Gott's been able to hide this particular thing when it happens, and it can't be hidden when he can't have a concussion quietly. When you see his hands do that, it's not happening all over the league. That, the physical manifestation of you're worried about one guy's brain more than any other in that sport, and then the hands go and stiffen in a way that tell you, oh, I can diagnose him from my couch.

He can't come back into this game, and who knows when he's gonna come back, and is he gonna have to have the Conversations again with his mother who wants him to retire for understandable reasons were armed with the visual of this particular player Having that moment two or three separate times now And so that's why you're watching him the way you're watching him with concern and we all should be concerned for to a we've never seen A player lay out on a field like that, not once, but twice, I think three times now. This has happened to Tua.

Well, twice physically in a way that makes your stomach turn. I think it's been four diagnosed concussions in five years because he had one in Alabama, and then there was the Bengals game in 2022, and then the Packers game in 2022 where they shut him down for the year, and then last night. But of course, if you're counting the time that he fell during the Bills game before the

Bengals game in 2022 then it would be five but obviously we still don't really know what happened but we know that the NFL changed their concussion protocols after that and he probably shouldn't have played Thursday night football four days after that. So you've got a short week, Stugats, and again we will get to the result because I know a lot of people care about the result and that went about as poorly as it could for the Dolphins before that even happened. He's trying because there's so many expectations on this season because the Bills have been statistically better than this team in a way that's pretty overwhelming. When you look at, they've won 12 of their last 13 against the Dolphins,

and the scoring difference is the Bills have scored 443 points and the Dolphins have scored 248. They've outscored them by 200 points and it's been a bit of a mirage the last couple of seasons in that it seems like the Dolphins are close because the games are close, and it doesn't seem like there's very much difference between them. But that difference can't be argued against. 12-1 in their last 13, the Bills are, and they've out, they didn't even need Josh Allen to be good last night. But I'm, I have trouble discussing just the game when what we're talking about is the

brain working through its liquid protective buffer, hitting the skull and short-circuiting the team's entire foundation. I think that's the most disastrous game in franchise history. That's right up there with the Jags playoff loss, where you realize, all right, we're starting over. Right. This was as devastating a blow to a franchise,

because not only were they shown inside their own division that they are not very close, but I started worrying about Tua's career before the concussion. He was really, really bad that game. Terrible, terrible performance from Tua, and then the hit happens and you realize, oh, this franchise, it may be sunk

in terms of this blueprint now. And it sucks too because I think the hit happens because he's not playing well and is trying to make a play and then kind of forgets the like oh I should slide here whatever happens in his head it's a obviously happens so fast and I think that's a symptom of like the game just not going the way that we all thought it would go with the Dolphins having this big lead by halftime and taking some deep shots. I mean, he threw how many interceptions.

So it really does feel like this was like his attempt to just sort of put the team on his back and make a play, and then it just ends horribly. I will ask and read some more to find out if the two interceptions before the third one were his fault. It didn't seem to me like either one of them were his fault. His last three interceptions thrown, he's throwing to the people you do not want him throwing to.

They're not the star players. It's Chase Claypool. It's a bunch of people who aren't the star players. Certainly a rough deflection, but also that ball's not on target. And when you don't deliver a ball that's on target, funny things can happen. I mean, hit him in the shoulder. No, the first one about his-

Who the hell is Dubois? The first one not his fault, the second one debatable, the third one obvious. The third one terrible. They got worse. You came out of there. They got worse, each one. All right, but I thought the first two weren't his fault, and we will get into the minutiae in a second.

The third one, though, illustrated to me the thing that we're saying about how flimsy the foundation of the dolphins is where everything has to be perfect in order for Tua to be who he is. What happened on the third one, Stugatz, is he's in a third down situation. Was it third or fourth down? Whichever one it was, he's got the left side of his line is on the sidelines. his offensive linemen are on the sidelines and now if he does a hiccup if his first read isn't there if it's not out in two seconds the thing that they've been doing to get for an entire year they managed to pull off the magic trick of to what gets rid of the ball faster than

everybody it covers everyone's deficiencies including that Armstead's always hurt but the moment Armstead goes to the sideline the moment the left side of their line is out you're now worried about oh my god this defensive line is so good Ed Oliver can't be blocked by the starters what's gonna be coming up the middle on to it and is it gonna get there before the two and a half seconds he hiccups on the first read now he knows he's got a down-and-distance situation where he's got to make a play now the defensive line is on him and he can't go back fast enough or throw the ball far enough to

even get it out of bounds and he's basically throwing a punt to a defensive back that gets returned easily for a touchdown and I honestly thoughts to God and this isn't something I'd do with any other player in the league, I thought on that hit, he could be concussed. Sure, on any hit. Because he went backward though, but it's the hitting of the helmet on,

the things they avoided last year was him getting thrown like a rag doll in desperate situations because he was getting rid of the ball so fast. And then you pair that with Josh Allen. To me, yeah, the interceptions were bad. The back-breaking play was that third and long. Allen scrambles. It's good coverage.

Jalen Ran, like, they covered as long as they could, and Josh Allen throws a guy open for a touchdown on third down. Those are the plays that Tua can't make. Wasn't a touchdown. He stopped at the one-yard line. No, Shakir, it was the touchdown play I'm talking about. He rolled right and he hit Shakir for a touchdown.

It was like he was covered for like seven seconds and then finally he breaks free and Josh Allen throws him open and it's like only Josh Allen and like one other guy can make that play. And that's the difference between Josh Allen and Tua. I understand wanting to debate the interceptions, whose fault it was.

The offense stunk. They weren't able to push the ball against a depleted bills team. Yes that defensive line of Oliver Rousseau and von Miller They absolutely ate that's a great unit everything else behind that Depleted yeah, in fact another impactful injury to their linebacker room They have a really bad situation there you put up ten points against a depleted bills defense You're not close to them right now. You're not remotely close to them. That is devastating. I can't say off of one game you're not remotely close to them

when they would have won the division if they had beaten the Titans last year. I'm not willing to say that based on the- I'm gonna apply in the context of their franchise quarterback may never play again. Okay, well- Which needs to be applied. All right, I don't think- He also may play in two weeks. Today. Okay, well. Which needs to be applied. Alright, I don't think.

He also may play in two weeks. He could, like, you know what. I don't think today. There is a way, guys. Like, this is the day to ask those questions. This is the day that everybody's asking those questions. Hindsight's undefeated. Everybody's wondering if anybody in that sport

should be wearing a Guardian cap, even though I'm not sure it helps there in that situation where the awareness was dialed down to zero from Tua, but why is any wearing a guardian cap even though I don't I'm not sure it helps there in that situation where the awareness was down to zero from Tua but why is any wearing a guardian cap these are all valid questions as people search for answers. You mentioned Jalen Ramsey and Jalen Ramsey's quote was the following to GQ about Josh Allen quote I think Josh Allen is trash I don't care what nobody says he's trash and it's gonna show too that's a stupid draft pick to me the Buffalo Bills beat

the Miami Dolphins yesterday and needed very little from Josh Allen to do it that was not me watching Josh Allen and in any way other than a couple of plays seeing the player that I fear, Stu Gotts, which is, the ultimate compliment I can give Josh Allen as a player is, if I'm on the other side, if I've got a bet on the other side, or if I'm rooting for the defense, and Josh Allen and the Bills are going for it

on fourth and nine, I'm still scared. I want them to punt. I don't want to take my chances on fourth and nine against Josh Allen that he's going, that my choices are I get the ball in good field position or he has a chance of making a fourth and nine. I'd prefer to just punt the, get the punt and get him off the field.

Josh Allen was interesting last night. He didn't have to do that much. He was 13 of 19, but the running game was working and the Dolphins kept turning the ball over. So that's like a perfect win for the Bills where they beat the Dolphins division rival 31 to 10 on the road. Their quarterback never had to run. He didn't have to do anything. James Cook had the best touchdown first half a Bill has ever had. He had three touchdowns in the first half and he's not the player on that team I fear even though he's very good. The player I fear is their quarterback and think about how it is

that you view the Bills and you guys tell me how often you sit around to worry that Josh Allen's gonna get hurt by somebody. Never. Even though he plays the way Lamar Jackson does and i worry about lamar jackson but the size of josh allen is such physically in the way defensive lineman sometimes bounce off of him i'm not sitting there worried that josh allen's going to get hurt i was reminded on at on a scramble the two i had that was thirteen yards nobody expects him to

run anymore he did so little running last year, Stu Gotts. He was so infrequently out of the pocket. The Dolphins are playing a foundational game of how do we keep our guy safe and hidden from the violence? Like the whole thing is built around how does he get rid of the ball quickly enough, decisively enough to play the way Tom Brady was playing where he wasn't likely to get hurt.

But Dan, two seasons ago, he worked on sliding, the sliding motion. And last year we saw it and you figured it would carry over for the remainder of his career. This year, it seemed like the Dolphins and Tua wanted to get him outside the pocket, wanted him to be more mobile so he could make some plays with his legs because that was the criticism of Tua and he was doing it. Like he did it in week one. He did it again last night. He was making plays we hadn't seen before with his legs. So, I don't know how much they were trying to hide him this year. Do you

understand though what I'm saying? When he runs for 11 yards in a first down, I don't want to see him running. I know. I don't have this experience with any other football players, Stugatz. I don't have this experience when a punter is faking a punt and running to the sidelines and risking being hit by a Sean Taylor. I agree with you. I don't want to see it either, but it's clear the Dolphins wanted him to do it, and Tua wanted to be a guy that can get outside the pocket

and make some plays with his legs. Let me ask you guys this because we are not experts here on what I'm about to say Did it look to you? like a hit That would result in that. No understanding it happened as it was developing. I kind of had that fear Yeah, I was at the edge of my seat when I saw like oh He's he's diving at the defender. Like, yeah, a brief flashing moment before contact,

I was worried like, why is he doing this? Because of the player, right? Well, yeah. Like if Josh Allen does the same thing, you're not worried. Honestly, any player, I'm less worried if it's Josh Allen, but going head first for a quarterback, what's weird is like, I know Hamlin's catching some stuff on social media, as is his clone,

but he didn't even make this tackle. Like two would just ran in them. This is why I'm saying it was fourth down. I don't know how much he knows, right? It was fourth down and he had to get it first down. And I don't know if he had the spatial awareness of saying, I better not slide here because if I slide I'm gonna lose two yards on this.

And so I have to go head first on this. But I did think that he initiated all of that and so I wasn't expecting any of that to result in his hand spasming in a way that again makes us uncomfortable. We need the advancement in technology to get a yellow line on the field. So I'm half kidding, but if there's a yellow line there,

he sees it and he slides. Because it's hard to know where he is on the field. I get it, everyone's like, you gotta know to slide there. If you're running on the field, you don't know exactly where the first down line is. So a yellow line is going to prevent guys from going head first in the players? I'm just saying, in that spot,

if a guy's running and he knows he passed the line, I am half kidding, but it would have helped. If we're asking for two at a slide, there's no way for him to know to slide. It's hard to judge that. I'm with you. Change the entire sport because you're quarterback. Yeah.

Make it safer for everyone. I want Josh Allen to know that the yellow line is here. I think what Jess said earlier was on the money. I think Tua was trying to fire up his sideline and was pressing on a drive they absolutely had to have. And he wanted to get up and do something physical to show his team that he was rallying the troops and it ended up blowing in his face. I would say it's the most devastating game in franchise history,

not just because the injury, excuse me, but also because you burned up two home games. You could have been owing two in them. The offense, which we all celebrated, has had a handful of good moments this season. They just don't look good with their QB one out there. They had a second half in week one. They had an 80 yard play and then some other crucial plays in there, but their offense did not look good overall against a Jags team. You're supposed to be considerably better than. And then. I'm telling you, one punch away. Dude. If I threw it, Mike. And then, I mean, that's a Thursday night game

against a division rival that you have to have for this season to work out the way that you want to. They just seem really far away right now, and with all the mystery surrounding their quarterback, that's as crushing a loss as you can have as a Dolphin fan. Yeah, it just sucks so much. I've really enjoyed watching Tua and his entire career since college.

And watching that last night was so just hard to watch. And I just feel so bad for him. I don't know if there's anything else to even say other than, I feel so bad for him. But also, why were Robbie Chosen and Dubois on the field? On the team. I mean, our receivers are healthy right now. They've had trouble with a third receiver

for a long time now. Odell Beckham was supposed to be that, and he has not been healthy. I wanna go back to what it is that Jess said, though. been healthy. I want to go back to what it is that Jess said though. I don't believe that I can think of another player who has this set of ingredients around him where it's a outpouring, an outpouring of I'm really sorry that football keeps happening to you and I'm really sorry and sad that you are a decent human being who people seem to really like as just a person and that you go to bed at night and we do

not know how much pain is in fear is in his sleep. I remember the first time I had a conversation, Chris Chambers one time, once upon a time, when this stuff was celebrated, when we could celebrate the fact that a giant hit across the middle leaves a receiver with his arm extended and spasming because he's been hit so hard. I don't know of another player that has around him this feeling of, I just feel so bad for him because Chris Chambers was talking about His head ringing for weeks these players don't talk about their ailments They don't publicly talk about how their sleep is affected or how much fear they have at night when they cannot sleep because the pain

In their head is making it so they're afraid of they're they're very alone, right? No matter you can go to doctors. You can be with your coaches in their head is making it so they're afraid of, they're very alone, right? You can go to doctors, you can be with your coaches, you can be surrounded by football players who know or think they know some of the dangers, but when you go to bed at night, you're alone with your fear of, my mother would like me to retire

because she thinks that I'm gonna be drooling in my 30s because of what this sport is doing to my brain. It's hard to think of another player, a current player, his 20s the prime of his career the prime of his life It's hard like you see guys after the fact after the NFL you see Jim McMahon right now You'll feel bad for Jim McMahon like what that game did to Jim McMahon his mind and his body You'll feel bad for him, but you didn't know it in the moment Let me ask all of you this question whose second place on what it is that we're talking about you're watching football and you're worried someone's going to get hurt and then

when they do get hurt you just feel sad you're sitting here and you're conflicted about I'm watching this thing and the center of it is a collision between a guy that was dead on the field last year because I'm not sitting there doing it for Hamlin Hamlin's they there starting safety and I'm not doing it for a guy who was dead on the field last year and it's because we have more information on concussions than we've ever had. The NFL, you know, did the concussion settlement where they finally admit yeah, yeah, yeah, it was kind of like tobacco and smoking. We weren't talking about it. But obviously if we're giving this many millions to a concussion

Settlement we will acknowledge that we are indeed doing brain damage Give me second place second place on anywhere college or pro that week to week I'm worried about their their body not holding up. I don't have an example I I only have an example of like where one player was so well liked he got overwhelming sympathy for his situation and he's still not back on the field and that was Nick Chubb where everyone agreed like that was devastating totally unfair maybe on the dirty side and he's just one of the good guys of the game and everyone roots for him. The only other time that I can remember thinking

about this locally Outside of when we were discussing should Alonso morning be playing should Chris Bosch be playing or wanting to play is When anyone would throw inside on Giancarlo Stanton high and near his head after he'd been hit in the face and his face exploded But in football I cannot think of Another not college or pro, and not ever. I can't think of another player where I'm concerned as they're playing the sport that they love, is this person going to get hurt? And then I see them hurt and the overwhelming reaction from everybody is, wow, this is just really sad.

I feel for him, he's in the middle of a really dark nightmare and everything the Dolphins built is super flimsy on this as a foundation. Folks, The Dan LeBattard Show with Stu Gotz is sponsored by BetterHelp. What's something that you'd love to learn? As an adult, do you make time to explore the new things as often as you'd like? Or has that sense of curiosity been left behind? Kids are always learning, always growing, but as adults sometimes we lose that spark. What's something you've been wanting to pick up?

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former NFL Plus subscribers. Additional NFL Plus Premium terms at nfl.com.com. Don LeBretard! It sounds to me like everybody could use a hug because a hug is always the right size Stugats all I have put in my body today is three cups of coffee and an entire cup Don't let him fool you he said in the break that he's jittery. This is the done libertar show with a stugat One of the things about this Stugats that is interesting to me is it's not just we observers who can all acknowledge we're not nearly as tough

as football players. We are not people who really understand what the violence of that thing is, who are worried about Tua and his future it is Des Bryant saying on Twitter. That's it NFL go ahead and do the right thing Tua has had entirely way too many concussions He needs to retire for his longevity health concerns. It's Shannon Sharp saying really hope to is okay But he's got a seriously thing about shutting it down. It's Damian Woody saying, quality of life has to factor in right now. I'm not even thinking football for him. Got a

life to live and I just want that man to be healthy. It's Louis Riddick saying, part of the discussion is going to be about if he should play anymore, ever again. That's the reality. it's Nick Wright saying he has to really consider hanging it up after tonight. The last time I felt that way was there was a Monday nighter that the Niners were playing in it might have been Niners Cardinals but not exactly sure where Steve Young got his bell rung pretty bad and it was during a stretch where he was getting better and this was before we knew anything really about concussions but he was getting better. And this was before we knew anything really

about concussions, but he appeared glassy and it just kind of felt like it might be the last time we see him the way that we knew him. And same exact feels last night. Troy Aikman ended up retiring because of concussions, but we didn't see any of the stuff that indicated to us that he was struggling with that.

Michael Irvin had something where we thought he was paralyzed on the field and the neck injury was such that all of us could understand, well, if we've already seen you on the field in a way that worried about paralysis and you've got neck stuff, that sport seems like it might risk paralysis, but it's moved on the body, Stugatz. For me, it used to be about paralysis. I have not seen this kind of outpouring and conversation about someone's head before in football. Like, it is a super unusual thing that all of us are watching this saying,

not is he gonna have one of those concussions that made Troy Aikman retire, the ones that we never see the physical ramifications of it. He's feeling them and then retiring. We've never seen it this way before. That's why it's jarring. I mean, that's why it's jarring multiple times. We've never seen it this way before. What do you do with what it is that I'm saying? That it's other football players telling

a mid-twenties human being, get out now! Never mind about the money, the glamour of the position, all of your lifelong dreams. It's other football players saying, nah, you're screwing up your life here and you need to think about quitting football. Let's play the sound. We talked it to about this and I have regrets. I told you this. I have regrets about how it is that I handled the first time this happened

against the Bengals on Thursday night. We talked to Chris Nowitzki and he was talking about how it was so terrible as a concussion expert, a former wrestler, somebody who's got medical experience. He was telling us that what the Dolphins did, and the NFL did, by continuing to play him in that Bengals game was so negligent that they should be considering murder

charges if he got injured. For a guy that was still alive. Yeah, but you guys. Which is ridiculous. You don't involuntary manslaughter there. You guys laugh at this and I have my regrets about how we handled some of that and I further had regrets about how when we talked to Tua

during the Super Bowl that I interviewed him and asked him about the idea of retiring in a way that made a lot of people thought he canceled future interviews during the Super Bowl because of how that questioning went so I asked him about it again as delicately as I could when we were at camp this year and he said yeah my mom was wanting me to retire. Was there anyone in your family a couple of years ago, urging you to retire, telling you we're worried about you? Yeah, I would say for sure, especially with, with what happened with the

concussions and whatnot, but we went and seen a doctor. I got to go see the doctor and whatnot. Um, got to get all the information that I needed to hear from him on whether it was a good idea or whether it wasn't a good idea. And got to sit down with them and I basically told them what I wanted to do. Who was the most vocal in your family telling you, why don't we just stop this?

I love you too much, football's too dangerous. It's just dangerous. It wasn't too vocal, but it was just brought up like here and there there like, you know I don't think you should continue to play and what not but we'll always support what you want to do It's more so like my mom Yeah Like is that I get it like, you know

I mean I got kids too now and it's like you can understand why the mothers are the way they are I mean, I I definitely as a Dolphins fan, I don't ever want to see two on the football field ever again. Like it every time he drops back to pass and the pass rush gets anywhere near him. I'm holding my breath. It's not the normal sports anxiety of, oh, how's my team going to do? I'm anxious. When he left the pocket and ran straight forward, I was grimacing on my couch for the few seconds before the hit even happened because you're so worried about it And when you hear these guys who played in the NFL say it when his family is suggesting he doesn't play I know that that there are financial implications. I know that there's pride

I know there are so many reasons why you would want to come back and play if you're Tua, but as someone just watching the sport and watching the human being, I don't ever want to have to turn on my TV and see that guy standing on the field. I'm not certain there's a doctor that would clear Tua with confidence and say go play football again. I don't know how we can say any of what the doctors are saying here. They have more access to information than we do. We're doing all these diagnoses from our couch and Jeremy is saying something that I'm sure runs counter to what the grand

majority of dolphin fans feel. I believe there I will find very few human beings who root for the dolphins who will articulate what Jeremy just did. I don't know that I will find a second one that is a dolphin fan who will say I care about him so much that it makes me care about him more than my own personal feel-good on Sundays, and I know that my season is ruined the moment that he can't play anymore. There are probably more dolphins fans who were telling him not to play because of how he was struggling on the field Rather than the ones who would react that way because of the injury so like and that's messed up But it's the reality is and and look I'm not I'm not in control of this You just mentioned the doctors right like they have more information

But I'm just thinking about how many examples we have of these players who deal with multiple examples we have of these players who deal with multiple concussions, the ones that we don't see, and end up with, you know, these stories that end up 10, 20, 30 years after they retire that are the most tragic things you've ever heard. We have all of this evidence of these traumatic brain injuries with 2-0 right in front of us and it's like, I don't know how we can with a good conscience continue to watch it, but that's also football in general, putting that to the side and having the conscience to move forward.

It does feel, Jeremy, and I know you're not doing this, but it does feel like you're a little like, I'm gonna outrage, like I- I know, that's how people are gonna react to it. I dislike concussions the most, more, it's like, I am not gonna say that, like I want Tua to be safe. I still watch football. But I'm gonna try, if doctors clear him three weeks from now, I'm not going to that, like I want Tua to be safe. I still watch football. But I'm gonna try, if doctors clear him

three weeks from now, I'm not going to like call it evil. I'm going to trust. But we know the biases that exist, like I'm not saying that, look, I won't call it evil either. I didn't say it was and I don't think it would be evil of anyone to clear the guy and go from there. I'm just saying we have all of these horrible examples

and 20 years from now, when God forbid, something with Tua happens, it's like, we're all just gonna go, f***. Like, it's just a nightmare, watching it unfold in front of you in this way. We normally get to just put it to the side and pretend like we don't know that this is happening

to all of these guys. And I still watch football. I'm not trying to outrage anyone. I would stop, I would protest the sport, never watch it again. I'm wearing a UCF jacket right now because I'm excited about a bunch of fucking college kids playing tomorrow.

Like I understand that I'm not, I'm speaking in circles in that regard, but like it's just so hard with this singular individual to continue to watch him go out there, and we've been holding our breath now for a year and a half waiting for this exact moment. And now it happened. They hit it well for a year

because we stopped thinking about this for a year. I don't recall. I recall it sort of dissipating, my fear of him running around on the field because he wasn't doing very much of it. He wasn't running outside of the pocket. Very few quarterbacks in the entire league ran for fewer yards last year than two Iran four

because they just weren't doing that with him. The whole thing was built around trying to protect him from danger. The whole philosophy of get rid of the ball quickly. He was throwing the ball, making decisions faster than anyone in the sport. It was a two step drop and hit Tariq or hit Waddle over the middle.

I mean that's what the offense was last year. Well I'm gonna ask Chris because you said, maybe you were exaggerating that we stopped thinking about it for a year. I never stopped thinking about it with Tua. Me as a total neutral here, I don't know if I can speak for Dolphin fans and that's why I want Chris's perspective, but my heart's in my throat watching that guy because I fear at any moment. And I remember the takes. I had him after the Bengals game. Look, if he's cleared by

independent doctors that say you can continue your career, they know vastly more about this stuff than I do, but also, it's not gonna change my prism when I watch him fearing what we saw last night, because I feel like it can happen at any point with him, and that's a snap to snap deal. I did not fear every drop back, but yes, anytime he's out of the pocket and I'm gonna run the ball.

In the open field. Most of the time with a runner, my thought is hold on to the rock, because that's just my saying, whenever a guy on my team run the ball. In the open field. Most of the time with a runner, my thought is hold on to the rock, because that's just my saying, whenever a guy on my team has the ball, with Tua, it's stay safe. Right, it's flying. So I'm not saying that,

I thought about it every single time, not gonna lie, last night, I had over four and a half rushing yards for Tua, so my initial thought when he took off is, just cash that, but I didn't, that was before the injury, but I want him to be safe. Like yes, I'm not, I'm thinking all the same things

when he's running. Not so much that you would be willing to say what Jeremy just said, which is I never want to see him in a uniform again. I never want him to see on a football field again. I'm not judging Jeremy for saying that. I just think, I think that is extreme. And I, like you Dan, I want to hear the doctors.

And I hear Jeremy's point, like I don't want him to just go to the team doctors, like he did in that clip. He said, I went and I talked to people that I trusted. So I want all that to happen. It's just, I'm not gonna make the statement of, I don't wanna see him ever again. I hope that he can get to a point where he can play again. You started to say crazy of what Jeremy said.

You did say extreme of what Jeremy said, but what do you do with Louis Riddick saying it and Dez Bryant saying it and Damian Woody saying it and Shannon Sharp saying it? Like these are not, these are not people who have a vested interest in the emotional parts of whether the Dolphins win or not, but as they, these are people that care about athletes being viewed as human beings and they're not tied

up in the results. I'm down the middle Chris right now, like I am with politics, like I'm just sitting in the middle. I'm not, oh, Jeremy's way over there. I never want to see him again. And there's a guy way over there that's like, he should play against Seattle. I'm just here in the middle saying,

what do the doctors say? Jessica, why are you dropping, what is happening here with your? Oh man, I can't say it on air, but it was a really funny joke from Jer-Bear. Dan, I'm wondering when you're gonna take accountability for wearing a dolphin's hat yesterday for the first time in like 20 years.

Yeah, only because Mike Ryan called me a communist. He said I looked like a communist. A lot of people are blaming me for the single worst result in franchise history. Worse than Dan Marino's retirement game, which was Jacksonville beating them 62 to seven. Mike Ryan is saying this is the worst that anyone has ever felt after a dolphin game.

I think when something bad happens, we do want to blame someone, and I'm suggesting we all just blame you. That's fine, yes. I blame you. Okay. I also blame myself because I was there and I am like terrible luck. Like you do not want me to be anywhere near your sports teams. But don't come after me. Like I said, I'm in the middle. Right. I'm just sitting right here. It's not your fault it happened. It's Stan's fault it happened. Just right here chilling in the middle. Who would come after you? You haven't said anything.

What do you mean? Everyone's's like oh you want him to play like I can already see the tweets of You know like you had the over four and a half like you don't care if the doctors clear them That's all I will say you are the only voice saying like I hope he does get back to playing I Hope it's safe. I hope he gets all the second third opinion. I know it's not Yeah, how many opinions Chris have about four or five opinions at least's not safe. How many opinions, Chris? How many? Four or five opinions at least. Not just the team.

Tua obviously has agency in this. What he ends up doing will be his choice no matter what, but you can disagree with his choice if you're someone who was made squeamish by watching a guy get so many concussions playing football. I think that everyone listening to this would be stunned if he retired. Simply stunned. I would not. I would not be stunned if Tua decided today

I'm no longer playing football. That's a family decision. You cannot let Tua make that decision alone. That is a decision that he should make with the family, with the organization. That should be a joint decision. I would not be, Dan, I would not be shocked if he did it today.

But you just heard, You just heard what he said his mother said, which is I'd like for you to retire. You said it's a family decision. I would like for you to retire, but I will support any decision you make. It's not a family decision. It's his decision and his alone. I would push back on that. I think the organization has a responsibility here too, and I'm sure that they've played out these scenarios dating back to the last concussion. What happens if this happens again? What's our plan?

Now they gave them a big contract, but I'm sure when they were talking about that contract, the elephant in the room was his overall health. They very much care for him, that was evident. It manifested physically with a kiss on the head from the head coach. In hindsight, a guy that's just concussed, or do we want to be yanking his head down for a kiss?

Maybe just give him a little tap on the butt, maybe do the same gesture. I don't think that follows the protocol to your point. Come here, optics. Yeah. And someone probably has a better idea of what the contract does. If someone is forced to medically retire,

maybe there is a way for him to get his money and not for it to count against the cap. But I think that there are people in that organization that care deeply for Tua the person and can separate themselves, mildly even, from the emotion of wanting to win and caring about this young man. Because the last one was really serious, really scary.

And Tua himself went on the record saying that he talked openly about retiring with his family. So I think there's a very serious thing listening audience a lot has changed over our 20 years together. One thing that hasn't? The great taste of Miller Lite. Yeah, producers have come and gone on our show, no doubt. I have fluctuated in size, but one thing that hasn't changed is our show's relationship with Miller Lite, a long-time partner of ours, and the fact that that Miller Lite is so great, it tastes amazing, and it's

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