Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed six games during the 2024 NFL season. A concussion sustained in the second game sent the former Alabama All-American to injured reserve for four contests, and he missed the final two games with a hip injury that the team and the quarterback purposely described in only vague terms.

Because Tagovailoa suffered two concussions that caused him to miss five games during the 2022 season, the 2024 setback raised alarms about Tagovailoa’s long-term health and questions about whether he should continue to play.

During an appearance on KKEA-FM in Honolulu on Thursday, the quarterback’s father, Galu Tagovailoa, said his son loved football too much to stop playing.

“The game is something that he loves,” Galu Tagovailoa said. “One of the things that I talked to him when he was going through his concussion was: Hey, what do you think? And he’s like, ‘Dad, I love this game, and I’ll die on the field for this game.’ So that answers everything for me. But at the same time as a father, you’re like, ‘Man, you 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 that I got to talk to him about. Something to think about. …

“His wife is such a beautiful lady, and she’s all about his health. And she tells him, ‘I want to live long with you. We got to make sure we do the right thing.’ But you know, Tua grew up in a way that everything is just so competitive. He just don’t want to leave the game. I mean, the kid loves it. But I believe the Lord has a plan for him and wherever the Lord takes him, that’s a decision he’s going to have to make with his family.”

What Tua Tagovailoa told his father sounded much like what he told reporters at a press conference on Oct. 21 as he prepared to return to the Miami lineup.

“I appreciate your concern,” Tagovailoa said. “I really do. I love this game, and I love it to the death of me. That’s it.”

Tagovailoa signed a $212.4 million contract extension with the Dolphins in July designed to keep him with Miami through the 2028 campaign. Tagovailoa signed the deal after starting every game in 2023 (including a playoff contest), leading the NFL in passing yards and earning his first Pro Bowl invitation.

As for the quarterback’s latest injury, Galu Tagovailoa said his son “is doing well. He’s recovering.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.