Why was Tua Tagovailoa wearing Ohio State gear?

Why was Tua Tagovailoa wearing Ohio State gear?

It’s not unusual for an NFL player to appear at a press conference or in the locker room wearing the gear of his alma mater’s hated rival after a Saturday bet didn’t go his way.

So why did Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa come to the lectern for his weekly Wednesday press conference wearing an Ohio State hoodie?

Tagovailoa was an All-American at Alabama, and the Crimson Tide defeated Texas A&M 26-20 in an SEC game on Saturday.

But Tagovailoa’s brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, is the quarterback for Maryland, and the Terrapins lost a Big Ten game to Ohio State 37-17 on Saturday for their first setback of the season.

Tua Tagovailoa had to pay off for backing his brother against Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple and linebacker Jerome Baker, a pair of Ohio State alumni, with his press-conference appearance in Buckeyes gear.

“Sometimes that’s how you win your team over, guys,” Tagovailoa said. “Sometimes you got to do what you got to do.”

In his fourth season as Miami’s quarterback, Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards as he prepares for Sunday’s game against the winless Carolina Panthers.

Taulia Tagovailoa also played at Alabama. After winning the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 7A Back of the Year Award at Thompson High School in Alabaster in 2018, he played in five games for the Crimson Tide in 2019, when he completed 5-of-9 passes for 100 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

In his fourth season at Maryland, Tagovailoa has completed 797-of-1,197 passes for 9,539 yards with 65 touchdowns and 31 interceptions for the Terps.

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