New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has a wide reach across the NFL. He’s been around a long time and has come across a lot of players.
One of those players is Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who Daboll coached at Alabama.
On Thursday night, Tua was knocked from the Dolphins’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals after his head slammed the turf for the second time in four days. He suffered a head/neck/back injury against Buffalo last Sunday but was cleared to return a few series later.
The latest injury required Tagovailoa to be stretchered off the field and sent to a local hospital, where he was eventually discharged.
Daboll was asked on Friday if he had a relationship with Tua and if it was tough to watch him lying on the turf, injured.
“Yeah, I do,” Daboll told reporters while fighting back his emotions. “He means a lot to me. Special kid, great family and it was tough.”
“I think every decision is different. I don’t really think about them as players. I know I’m a coach, but I try to think about them, they’re not too far off from my kids. Anytime a guy gets hurt, I saw it and just prayers for him, his family and the people around him.”
Daboll was asked if he reached out to Tua or his family yet.
“I haven’t yet. I will. Right after that, I think it’s respect for him, his family, their space,” Daboll added.
Former Alabama safety Xavier McKinney was a bit less diplomatic when asked about Tua’s injury.
I asked Xavier McKinney if he had concerns about the way the Dolphins handled Tua's situation Sunday-Thursday.
"Yeah. I do. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But at the end of the day I don’t really know what’s going on with that organization."
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) September 30, 2022
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