Raiders coach Antonio Pierce pushes for Tua Tagovailoa to retire after third concussion

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce explained why he would advise Tua Tagovailoa to walk away from football for good after the Dolphins quarterback suffered another concussionThursday night.On Friday, Pierce was asked about the scary scene — which unfolded when Tagovailoa lowered his shoulder and was tackled by Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the third quarter of Buffalo’s 31-10 win over Miami — and referenced the quarterback’s concussion history.

Thursday night marked Tagovailoa’s third diagnosed concussion in his NFL career.“I’ll be honest, I’d tell him to retire,” Pierce, 45, said in his press conference ahead of the Raiders’ matchup with the Ravens on Sunday.

“It’s not worth it.It’s not worth it.

“Played the game, I haven’t witnessed anything like I’ve seen that’s happened to him three times.Scary.

You can see right away, the players’ faces on the field.You can see the sense of urgency to get Tua help.

I just think that at some point, you know, he’s going to live longer than he’s going to play football.Take care of your family.”It’s rare for an active coach to weigh in on an injury of an opposing player, especially considering Pierce — a Super Bowl champion and former Pro-Bowl linebacker with the Giants — is a former Giants linebacker known for his rugged style.ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes noted that when she reacted to Pierce’s comments in post on X.“Boy…this is really something coming from an active (and notoriously tough) head coach,” she wrote.

Pierce is not alone, though.Former NFL stars, including Tony Gonzalez, called for the 26-year-old Tagovailoa to reconsider playing football for his long-term health after Thursday’s scary scene.Tagovailoa was ruled out Thursday’s game and diagnosed with a concussion just minutes after he rushed for a first down on fourth-and-4 and was tackled by Hamlin.After the play, Tagovailoa fell to the ground and went into a fencing position, which is a term used to descr...