During a press conference on Friday, Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should end his career after suffering a concussion within the third season.

Tagovailoa left Miami’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night after a blow to the helmet caused the fifth-year quarterback to have a fencing reaction – a term that describes when a person’s arms are in an unnatural position. He was able to leave the field under his own power and was immediately placed in concussion protocol. Tagovailoa missed five games in the 2022 season due to two more diagnosed concussions, as well as a third blow to the head that led to the NFL changing its concussion policies.

When asked about his reaction to Tagovailoa’s recent injury, Pierce, who played nine seasons in the NFL, said Tagovailoa should prioritize his health and his family.

“I’ll be honest, I would tell him to quit. It’s not worth it,” Pierce said. “As a player, I’ve never seen anything that happened to him three times. It was scary – you could see it right away, the faces of the players on the field. You could see how desperate everyone was to help Tua. I just think at some point he’s going to live longer than he can play football. Take care of your family.”

Pierce wasn’t the only NFL coach to voice his opinion on the matter on Friday.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, whose team played the Dolphins in Week 1, said he did not know the full situation but stressed that in these scenarios, the player’s health must take priority.

“If it was one of our guys, you have to be very cautious and do the right thing for the player. I think that’s the most important thing,” Pederson said. “It’s a part of the game that we’re obviously trying to eliminate. I just don’t know if we can completely eliminate it because of the nature of these hits. I think you just have to continue to think about the player and his health and safety and make sure he’s 1,000 percent healthy. Those are just decisions that I think you have to consider personally as a player when you think about your career.

“Everyone wants to play, they love this game so much and give so much to it that when something like this happens, reality hits you a little and the human side of our sport comes out.”

Pederson is also an NFL veteran, playing seven seasons before retiring in 2004.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spoke to the media Friday morning and said he was not focused on Tagovailoa’s return to football. As his quarterback left the field Thursday night, McDaniel told Tagovailoa to focus on his family for now.

McDaniel also implored fans and the media to let Tagovailoa focus on his health before discussing the possibility of his return or retirement.

“You’re talking about his career – his career is his,” he said. “I just wish people would listen to me for a second that it’s not in his best interest to address his future. So I ask anybody who really cares to consider that as the last thing they consider.”

McDaniel did not appear to respond to anyone specifically; he spoke before Pederson or Pierce made their comments. He said he did not believe Tagovailoa would play in the Dolphins’ game against the Seattle Seahawks next week, but added that the only opinions that mattered were those of Tagovailoa and the doctors examining him.