Slimm!?
After all these years coaching and watching football youve seen numerous kids get concussions, multiples in a season. Have you advised them to call it a career?
Or is this just because Tua is on a team your not fond of?
Im kind of surprised by this post. Just curious because I respect your opinions a great deal.
I don’t make that call. Those decisions are left up to parents and families to make. Not football coaches.
It’s interesting because although I’m not actively coaching anymore and only consult when needed - I’m still AHSAA certified. Which you have to be in order to work hands on with student athletes in the state of Alabama.
Part of that certification is being certified in CPR and AED. There are ambulances and EMT on standby at the games on Friday nights in case of a situation just like the one millions of people saw take place with Damar Hamlin.
But you don’t have ambulances on standby during practice. You as the coach may be the first responder for a player in a potential situation where you have to administer life saving techniques until EMT’s arrive.
When I played, we knew nothing about head injuries and brain trauma. I’ve learned more in the past 3 years about it through keeping my AHSAA certifications than I did in the previous 30 years of coaching. Everyone has.
Tua is receiving repeated head trauma on routine tackles. Not violent collisions. This is because the damage is already done and cannot be reversed. His brain is telling him it can’t continue.
This is an extremely difficult realization for players to come to. Especially when football is all you know. And especially when you’re cashing 6 figure paychecks weekly.
A lot of players don’t have people around them that can point them in the right direction. Some do. Which is why you see players like Andrew Luck walk away. It’s just not worth it. He wasn’t even dealing with the seriousness of what Tua faces.
The knowledge gained is why you see so many players now retire at 10 years in the league compared to years past. As soon as they can get vested - they’re out. They now know what I know.
Nobody in the dolphins organization gives a **** about Tua. All they care about is what he can do for them.
My hope is that someone who genuinely cares about him can get through to him. He’ll die on the football field if it means not feeling like he let anyone in his family down. That is exactly what has me worried for Tua. I know his family.
Years down the road, football will not be important to him. Being able to remember his child’s name will be important to him.
I’m just saying I hope someone somewhere has Tua’s best interest in mind. He doesn’t.