Former New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau told Newsmax on Saturday that he is cautiously optimistic that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa "should be able to play again."
On Thursday, Tagovailoa suffered the third concussion of his career after taking a hard hit from Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills. Gastineau said concussions are the most serious of injuries and while they aren’t fully "beatable," they are "treatable."
"I can't really give a doctor's assessment on what Tua is going through, but I know that there are great doctors out there, and that he probably will be able to come back and play again," he said during an appearance on “Saturday Agenda.”
Gastineau, who played for the Jets from 1979 to 1988, said that the NFL was much different in his day with less protective helmets and less collective knowledge about the risks of concussions.
"When I hit a quarterback, I would knock their teeth out and put them in the hospital and it was really serious. I mean, [former Jets defensive tackle] Joe Klecko and I when we hit somebody, we really tore them up. But now I think the NFL is really doing a good job on trying to protect the quarterbacks. The helmets are different. The things that they've got now that are protecting them is a lot different than what I had when I was playing."
Host Rob Astorino asked Gastineau if the NFL should force Tagovailoa to retire.
"I can’t say to force him to retire," Gastineau answered. "He’s a very competitive athlete and I’m sure know if he had to do it all over again, he would slide. It’s just really sad."
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