Bill Simmons points out hypocrisy in calls for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa to retire
09/16/2024 01:24 PM
On a flight home from Boston, podcast host Bill Simmons found something quite hypocritical about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being prompted to retire following his concussion. During Monday’s episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, he talked about an interesting distinction between Tagovailoa and combat sports.
“There’s no way to govern this obviously because we taped something at the top on Thursday where it’s like, ‘I don’t know what the number (of concussions) is for these dudes to retire,'” Simmons said. “Then I watched boxing, flew home from Boston on Saturday night and I watched boxing and UFC on JetBlue and I’m just thinking, ‘these guys are just all getting the crap kicked out of them, and then they get up and they go to the next fight. Like who are we to tell Tua?'”
Unfortunately, Tagovailoa has a history of concussions since entering the NFL. He had two concussions in the 2022 season, which limited him to 13 games that season. Although he had zero concussions in 2023, Tagovailoa suffered his first on Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills. The symptoms were all too present and left the NFL world in total shock.
Any differences in Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa injury and other sports?
However, in other combat sports, the concussion number is through the roof. For example, UFC fighters will be consistently knocked out and immediately get up. They might get a concussion and continue their fight. Former UFC fighter Ronda Rousey revealed that she was concussed during her first title fight against Holly Holm. Rousey continued the fight before ultimately being knocked out in the second round.
Although combat sports and the NFL are entirely different, some of the same injuries persist. Concussions are common in both UFC and boxing. Fighters keep returning to fight and are allowed to by state boxing commissions, who hire physicians as well. Simmons’s cohost, Cousin Sal, mentioned his hypocrisy when talking about Tagovailoa’s head injuries and others.
“I'm a complete hypocrite for that very reason,” Sal said. “I see Tua with the fencing arm and I'm like ‘no, let's not do that anymore,’ but then I'm like this guy gets knocked out and I'm like, ‘Oh man he should fight Jon Jones next.’ He can't get out of the Octagon, he can't figure out where the door is.”
The Dolphins plan on waiting until Tagovailoa is cleared by doctors but that time is uncertain. They will anticipate backup quarterback Skylar Thompson taking the reins in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.
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