Read the full transcript from Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's press conference on August 26, 2023.
QB Tua Tagovailoa (transcribed by Jacksonville Jaguars)
Can you go over what happened out there?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think there were a lot of things that happened out there on the field tonight that weren't expected. For Daewood [WR Daewood Davis], I don't think he woke up this morning understanding that there are repercussions playing this sport that this was going to happen. I don't think anyone wakes up thinking things like that's going to happen. There were a lot of things that happened out there on the field for not just Daewood, but there were other guys as well. Our prayers, our thoughts are with a lot of those guys that sacrifice a lot, day in and day out. And it was just tough to see.
I assume it would have been very hard if not possible to continue playing for your teammates?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think it would have been extremely hard for the guys to have gone out and continued to play. The kind of person Daewood [WR Daewood Davis] is, a lot of guys respect him. He's very well respected in the locker room. He's a great player. He's a great teammate. He's a great person. Just would have been hard to have gone back out after seeing something like that.
Did you see the entire play and what did you think, if so?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I'd seen the entire play. I just didn't see if there was a second person that hit him. I'd just seen it was a pass breakup and I didn't think anything of it. And when Daewood [WR Daewood Davis] was on the floor and he didn't move, that was very concerning. So prayers go out to him, his family, his friends, everyone watching, thinking of him.
What about the mood in the locker room? Can you lend any insight on how that was?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, it's tough for everyone. It's tough for everyone in there to witness something like that and come in and talk about how the game went. It's just too tough. Like I said, the kind of person that Daewood [WR Daewood Davis] is, he's very well respected in the locker room. The guys like him. Guys sort of tailor to who he is as a person. It's hard to explain when you're not in the locker room day in and day out. But it's just not something you like seeing.
Could you explain a little bit as far as like the bond you all will embrace from this moment just to move forward and grow from this?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think the bond continues to grow for all those guys in the locker room. When something like this happens, sometimes it does bring guys closer because it's more than just football. It's about life, it's about the person, it's about the guys in the locker room who they are outside the locker room. We're all human, too. We go out there for the entertainment of those people watching and sometimes things happen unfortunately like that.
A minute ago when Mike McDaniel [Head Coach Mike McDaniel] was out here, he talked about Daewood [WR Daewood Davis] sort of putting on, telling a story, and singing a song for the team. Were you there for that and how did that make the team kind of rally around him?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I was there for all of it. I was there also when they had the rookie show. It was probably the best rookie show I've ever seen. I've only been here for four years, but it's the best rookie show I've ever seen. Definitely way better than my rookie show that we had. But it was good. They all did good. It was funny. But there's many things that you can talk about that are good about Daewood [WR Daewood Davis], but that's not to outshine the guys that have put in the work out there out on the field, given the opportunities and the chances they've had to put their work on film.
