There are stereotypes we use to justify our attraction to the violence and chaos that is NFL football.

We say that football is 100% an injury game.

We say that players know what they signed up for.

Amid the controversy surrounding Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s clearance to play on Sunday after he missed four games with the third diagnosed concussion of his career, a new rationale has emerged. Should Tagovailoa continue playing? We should leave it to him.

This is where I draw the line. Tagovailoa can decide whether he wants to play, but he represents the Dolphins. Ultimately, what happens to Tagovailoa impacts the organization.

The Dolphins, not Tagovailoa, should be the ultimate arbiter of whether he plays another game or another season for the franchise. Just because Tagovailoa is willing to roll the dice with his health doesn’t mean the Dolphins should.

On Monday, Tagovailoa spoke to the media for the first time since he was diagnosed with the third concussion of his NFL career. In a question-and-answer session that doubled as an interrogation, Tagovailoa explained why he should continue playing despite his brain injuries. When someone asked about all the advice he received, Tagovailoa said: “I appreciate your concern, I really do. I love this game, and I love it to death. This is it.”

I’m not sure what he meant by “my death,” but the Dolphins’ front office should be concerned that their quarterback is putting football above his short- and long-term health.

The “death of me,” indeed.

Tagovailoa had an outstanding 2023 season — a season in which he hardly ever left the pocket to run. During the offseason, he was rewarded with a four-year, $212.4 million contract ($167 million guaranteed) including a $42 million signing bonus.

Apparently feeling unleashed and emboldened, Tagovailoa injured himself in Week 2 after leaving the pocket, running and colliding with Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. Instead of slipping, Tagovailoa lowered his shoulder, endured the blow, and suffered a concussion.

Without Tagovailoa, Miami’s offense, which was so potent last season, began to slow down. Coach Mike McDaniel, hailed as an offensive genius, suddenly looks pedestrian – an average coach with an average team.

McDaniel wants the best for Tagovailoa, but he also wants the best for himself. All he needed was the OK from the medical staff and he got it.

The team and players roll the dice together.

I’ve always wondered what backlash the NFL might face if a player dies on the field. On January 2, 2023, I almost got an answer when Hamlin collapsed on the field after being hit in the chest by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After what felt like hours, Hamlin was revived on the field. He was then taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition.

The game was canceled and the good news is that Hamlin survived and made a full recovery. Hamlin was back on the field on August 12, 2023, playing his first NFL game since cardiac arrest. In Week 3 of the current season, Hamlin recorded the first interception of his professional career.

Some argued that the overwhelming support for Hamlin offset the violent nature of football by bringing out the best in people. “I think these moments help us remember that we really care and that these are people engaging in a dangerous activity,” said Shawn Klein, a professor at Arizona State University who specializes in ethics , popular culture and sports philosophy. “It’s unfortunate that we have to wait for something tragic to remember, but I think what we remember and keep in mind is that these are people engaging in a dangerous activity for our entertainment. “

The result is that the NFL survived the Hamlin scare. The player became a hero and the NFL is more popular than ever. The Pro Football Writers of America awarded Hamlin the 2023 George Halas Award, which recognizes an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity.

Now the league and team are rolling the dice with Tagovailoa. Unlike Hamlin, who had no history of cardiac arrest, Tagovailoa has been diagnosed with at least three concussions. Even though the medical experts have cleared him, I wonder how worried the Dolphins hierarchy is about whatever happens to Tagovailoa. The only way for the Dolphins to protect themselves is to trade their franchise quarterback.

Of course that won’t happen. The reality is that the Dolphins have seen what their offense looks like without Tagovailoa, and it’s an ugly picture.

Or Tagovailoa could follow the example of other great players and simply leave the game while he can.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was 29 years old when he abruptly announced his retirement after seven NFL seasons. He said he was just tired of the injuries, the rehabilitation and the pain.

Detroit Lions running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders retired before the Lions’ training camp in 1999. He was healthy, but knew the time had come.

Legendary Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown, who had won his third MVP award in 1965, retired in his prime at age 30 in 1966.

In any case, Tagavailoa had no shortage of advice.

Bennet Omalu, the neuropathologist credited with discovering chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a former football player, called on Tagovailoa to retire from the NFL. Omalu told TMZ Sports that he is at risk of becoming permanently incapacitated if he suffers another brain injury.

“If I were his brother, his father, his uncle, cousin, nephew, if I were a member of his family. I would beg him to retire…Find something else to do,” Omalu told TMZ.

I understand it. Only 26 years old, Tagavailoa hasn’t come close to matching the success of Brown, Luck and Sanders, even though Luck and Sanders never won NFL championships. Tagavailoa has made it clear that he will not give up football. He is married, has two small children, three younger siblings and his parents.

During a press conference with reporters in 2023, Tagavailoa said he had considered retiring after the 2022 season. “I’ve been thinking about sitting down with my wife and family and having these conversations for a while,” he said. “But it would be really hard for me to step away from this game with my age and my son. I always dreamed of playing as long as possible so that my son knows exactly what he is watching his father do.”

The risks are clear. If Tagavailoa takes a series of hard hits by the end of the season, his career could be over. When will the Dolphins say “enough”? Obviously, Tagavailoa won’t say “enough.”

As he told reporters earlier this week, “I love this game, and I love it to death.”

If I’m on the Dolphins, I don’t want to leave that decision to Tua.