Tagovailoa still uncertain while facing 'the biggest decision of my life'

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Propped up by a pair of crutches and donning pajamas, Tua Tagovailoa slowly made his way to the stage in front of a sea of eager media members Thursday. Despite his light-hearted attire, the Alabama quarterback knows he has a serious decision to make in the coming weeks concerning the next step in his career after dislocating his hip last month.

Tuesday, Tagovailoa talked with ESPN, stating he’s still currently weighing his options of returning to Alabama or declaring for the NFL Draft. Thursday wasn’t the time for an announcement. However, the lefthander did shed some more light on his thought process regarding the situation.

“This is probably going to be the biggest decision of my life,” Tagovailoa said Thursday. “This is where I seek advice from what I believe, and this is where I seek advice from my parents. But truly, at the end of the day, the decision comes down to me. Whether I feel like it’s right for me to stay or whether it’s right for me to go. It’s just a really, really big decision, man. And everybody just wants to know, so that’s what makes it even bigger I’d say.”

Once projected to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft, there is some uncertainty regarding whether or not Tagovailoa will slip down draft boards following his injury. The junior said he hasn’t had too much time to discuss the matter fully with his family as he has been busy going through rehab and finishing up his semester at Alabama. Tagovailoa has until Jan. 20 to decide whether or not he wants to declare for the NFL Draft or return to Alabama.

“I think you’ve got to think of both sides of the spectrum,” he told ESPN Tuesday. “You think of risk-reward on coming back, you think of risk-reward on leaving. When I kind of look at it, I look at it if I come back, the risk is what if I get hurt again? But the reward could be maybe I jump back to the top of the charts and the boards for all these teams.

“Now, you look at the other side of the spectrum — if I leave, the risk is do I still go in the first round? Or do I even make it to the second round. These guys don’t even know if I can play with the hip injury yet, too. And then I’d say the reward in all of that is yeah, I’ll be getting paid millions, but a lot of the money that I could’ve made, you can’t make that money up, so that’d be me leaving money on the table.”

Thursday, Tagovailoa was asked a hypothetical question of what he would do if it appeared likely that he would still be selected somewhere in the top 10 or top 15 of the draft.

“I think that’d be tough to pass up,” he said. “I think there’s a lot more to it than that in some aspects. I don’t want to say too much because what me and my family talk about, I kind of want it to be just with me and my family. So that’s all I can say about that.”

Regardless of whether Tagovailoa returns to Alabama or decides to go pro, there is no guarantee he will be able to play next season. However, when asked about that possibility Thursday, he remained optimistic about seeing the field sooner or later.

“I want to play any time,” Tagovailoa said. “I’ve played hurt many times over the course of the two years that I’ve been the starter here. But I’d like to say this is just a totally different situation. This is a unique situation. This isn’t something that I can rush. If I want to play to my full potential, I know that I can’t just come back and play on it as if it were my ankle.

“It’s just something that I need to take into consideration. Me wanting to play, I think a lot that has to go into my decision-making, too, as to whether I stay or leave.”