Former Notre Dame star Manti Te’o was emotional discussing Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion suffered Thursday night.
Manti Te’o fought back tears, his voice cracking.
Watching his childhood friend and “brother” Tua Tagovailoa suffer his third diagnosed concussion Thursday night against the Bills shook the former Notre Dame star and had him searching for the right words Friday morning on “Good Morning Football.”
“After he suffered the one against the Bengals (in 2022) I wanted him to walk. When I saw him have to be carted off the field, I wanted him to walk. That was … that was hard,” Te’o said emotionally.
“What people have to understand is this is just a game. And then there’s life. And when you watch a young man you’ve known since he was a little boy go out there … is it hard for me? Yeah. But I can’t imagine how it is for Uncle Galu and Auntie Danie to watch their son, again, go down.”
Te’o, 33, and Tagovailoa, 26, both hail from Hawaii and they clearly have a strong connection, although Te’o did not explicitly say if they are officially related.
The former Chargers and Saints linebacker is concerned for his friend’s well-being, especially now that he he has sustained his third concussion in three years.
Tagovailoa first suffered a concussion on Sept. 29, 2022, against the Bengals, which Te’o referenced. He then sustained another on Dec. 25, 2022, which ended his season prematurely.
His third happened late in the third quarter of Thursday’s 31-10 loss when he scrambled for a first down but took a hit instead of sliding.
