SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan wanted to get something off of her chest during a discussion about Tua Tagovailoa’s latest concussion.
During ESPN’s First Take discussion, Duncan shifted the conversation to respond to Stephen A. Smith’s remarks about men sacrificing for their families. He then pivoted to why football players make life-changing decisions to play such a dangerous game.
“Molly [Qerim] and Elle, I can say this: As men, our mentality a lot of the time is different,” Smith said, per Awful Announcig. “You’re willing to put it all on the line to secure the well-being of your family in perpetuity, even in the event you’re not around.”
Smith elaborated on why Tua Tagovailoa will continue playing football even after his third concussion.
“There are sacrifices that I make as a father all the time. I’m not around my daughters as much as I would like to be. I’m not with my family as much as I would like to be. Sometimes they resent it and what have you. I don’t care. And you know why I don’t care? Because I grew up starving. And as a result of that, anything that I do to ensure the well being of my family moving forward, even in the event that I’m not around — as selfish as that may be — I’m willing to do it because I knew what it was like to grow up with nothing. These football players make those decisions every single day as men. Provide, protect. That’s our number one priority. That’s how most of us think. And that plays a role in the kind of decisions that men make.”
Duncan decided to give her example by mentioning what she has gone through, stating, “As a woman who has had two C-sections to provide for my family, I understand sacrifice.”
She then added another layer by mentioning race, stating, “A Black woman in this country, whose mortality rates are incredibly high, I understand making sacrifices and trying to mitigate risk when it comes to your family, expanding your family, and protecting your family.
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“All I am simply imploring is that anyone in Tua’s corner, someone that truly believes and loves Tua, is having a real conversation with him right now about what quality of life looks like. We all face an existential crisis at some point in our lives.”
The sudden shift in talking about c-sections and black women in the United States left viewers feeling her comments were off-topic since the conversation was supposed to be about Tua Tagovailoa and his health.
Tagovailoa exited the Dolphins’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills after sustaining a concussion from a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel Has ‘Zero Idea’ When Tua Tagovailoa Will Be Back
Mike McDaniel has no clue when Tua Tagovailoa will return to the football field.
The Dolphins coach said he has “zero idea” when Tagovailoa will play again following the third confirmed concussion of his career.
“The best thing I can do is not even assess this from a football standpoint,” McDaniel told reporters in his Friday morning press conference.
Tagovailoa had fans panicking following his reaction to the injury. He made a fencing motion with his hands, which often signals a loss of consciousness.
“The absolute most important opinion, person in this equation is Tua,” McDaniel said. “What he wants to do with his life and his career, coupled with the experts in neuroscience, those are the driving forces behind those actions. I am not hiding anything.
“I am being as transparent as I absolutely can. I have zero idea what any sort of timeline is, and I am extremely motivated to be in the gray and be extremely motivated to do right by the person we are talking about. That’s not an ideal way to do business necessarily, but this more than business. We have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation … I am not going to rush to judgment way prematurely.”
McDaniel added he would be surprised if Tua Tagovailoa played in the Dolphins’ next game against the Seahawks on Sept. 22.
