Tagovailoa "Grateful And Thankful" To Dolphins
Former Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa focused on "trying to prove that this was the right decision" for the Miami Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins recruit and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said he was not nervous about being picked in the NFL Draft.
The Dolphins used the fifth overall pick on junior Alabama QB Tagovailoa on Thursday, despite concerns over his fitness.
Tagovailoa appeared to be the likely number one pick a year ago but the left-hander dropped down the board due to injury concerns and the incredible season of LSU star Joe Burrow.
A hip dislocation and wall fracture ended Tagovailoa's 2019 season, while the Hawaii native also suffered a fractured finger, a right knee sprain and bilateral ankle problems previously.
But Tagovailoa told reporters via Zoom: "I would say I didn't get nervous at all. For me and my family, the biggest thing was whoever decided to take a chance on us, whoever decided to pick me up, that's where I belong.
"I'm very grateful and thankful that I have this opportunity to play for this organisation. My biggest thing is I'm trying to prove that this was the right decision for the organisation."
"I think what makes me confident in the aspect of me being able to play would be what the doctors have told me," Tagovailoa, who labelled the occasion a "dream come true", continued. "As far as rehab, as far as the medical rechecks, I've checked off all the boxes. That's what I've been really standing on and that’s kind of what I've been going with.
"That's why I would say I've been really encouraged to say that I'm able to play if need be. But I think the biggest thing for me right now is just being able to take it in, soak it in, enjoy it with my family and get to work."
Tagovailoa also revealed he overcame a difficult period in Nashville last month – a tornado struck the city and caused extensive damage to his car.
"It was about 1 o'clock in the morning," Tagovailoa explained. "Sirens were going off and I was sleeping. I ended up waking up to the warnings on my phone. Right when I woke up, three or four minutes later, a tornado just swoops right over my complex, destroys my car and everything there. It was pretty bad."
Tagovailoa added: "This has probably been the hardest process for me to go through. I've gone through a lot with making this decision. I went to Nashville, went through that tornado that came through. My car got destroyed. I'm going through rehab during that process. There's a lot of uncertainty at the same time. It was just a lot of things piling up. This was probably the most difficult time for me in my life."