‘Double standard’: J.J. Watt defends Dolphins QB not sliding before suffering concussion on TNF

During Thursday Night Football, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion after his head collided with the torso of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

It’s Tagovailoa’s third concussion in just two years.

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After conversations arose on X surrounding Tagovailoa’s decision to not slide down and protect himself prior to the hit, Houston Texans legend J.J. Watt provided his take on the discussion.

Initially, Watt simply tweeted in support of the Dolphins quarterback and implied that he was praying for him.

After an X user responded asking Watt why Tagovailoa didn’t slide after getting the first down, Watt replied with a nearly two-minute-long video addressing the entire situation.

In the video, Watt addresses what he views as a double standard levied against professional football players, specifically quarterbacks. When they don’t slide to protect themselves, they’re considered reckless and told to put their bodies first. When they do slide, they are labeled “selfish” and told they need to fight for the rest of the team.

The situation has also sparked discussions of Tua’s future as a whole, as Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce has publicly encouraged the quarterback to consider stepping away from the game to avoid further severe head injuries.

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Legendary former Alabama football coach Nick Saban—who coached Tagovailoa during his college years with the Crimson Tide—didn’t go quite that far, but he said that Tua’s future needs to be “a medical decision.”