Tua Tagovailoa‘s health continues to be a talking point ahead of this month’s NFL draft.
On Friday night, the former Alabama star took it on himself to try to dispel any thoughts that he might be injury-prone.
“I’m not playing badminton. I’m not on the swim team,” Tagovailoa said during an Instagram Live show with Mike Locksley, his former offensive coordinator with the Crimson Tide and the current head coach at Maryland. “[Football] is a physical sport. You’re gonna get hurt. That just comes with it. And it was just very unfortunate that I got hurt every season.
“It’s a part of the game. It’s a contact sport. I can only control what I can control. I can’t control that.”
Tagovailoa suffered a right posterior hip dislocation during a November game against Mississippi State. The two orthopedic surgeons directly involved in his ensuing surgery told ESPN’s Stephania Bell this week that he will be fully healthy to participate in football activity when NFL training camps open.
The quarterback also endured several other injuries while at Alabama, including a fractured left index finger, a right knee sprain and bilateral ankle injuries.
On Thursday, Tagovailoa participated in a private, hourlong workout with 55 scripted throws and another 20 throws in a dynamic drill setting that was done in lieu of Alabama’s pro day, which was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tagovailoa told Locksley that he felt the workout “went great given the circumstances” and saluted the six or seven people who were able to assist in the session given rules against larger gatherings due to COVID-19.
He added that the virus hasn’t affected his training ahead of the draft and thanked people in Nashville, where he’s been, who have opened their facilities and enabled him to work out and throw.
ESPN’s Todd McShay has Tagovailoa going fifth overall to the Miami Dolphins in his latest mock draft; counterpart Mel Kiper Jr. has him fifth in his latest Big Board.
“I’ll play for whoever takes me,” Tagovailoa told Locksley. “I just want to play, man. It doesn’t matter what organization I go to, man. I just want to play. I look forward to playing under any organization that is willing to take a chance on me.”