Miami Dolphins

The town of Lahaina recently fell victim to devastating wildfires, resulting in a tragic loss of life, with 99 confirmed casualties and ongoing search operations for missing individuals.

In response to this crisis, Tagovailoa has initiated a fundraising campaign for his home state.

Tagovailoa does his best to help in Hawaii

The launch of this initiative took place late on a Friday night, reflecting his strong commitment to aiding the affected community.

He personally signed off the campaign with the phrase “Alofa atu,” which holds the heartfelt meaning of “Love you.”

“In the wake of the Maui wildfires, our community needs us more than ever,” Tua wrote.

“With the strength of our ‘Ohana and the deep-rooted values of Aloha, let’s lend a hand to those in need. 100% of donations will directly support those affected in Hawaii.”

Tagovailoa donates 20,000 dollars

To kick-start the fundraising efforts, Tua contributed an initial sum of 20,000 dollars, setting a larger objective of amassing 100,000 dollars to support the recovery.

As of Monday night, the Tua Foundation fund had successfully raised an impressive total of 62,000 dollars.

Notably, the support for this cause has been extensive, with 454 backers having rallied behind the initiative.

This includes the notable involvement of the Jason Taylor Foundation and the contribution of Alabama coach Nick Saban, all working collectively to aid the recovery and restoration process in the wake of the tragic wildfires.

The quarterback did jujutsu workouts in the off-season to try to improve his agility and ability to avoid hitting his head.

In Saturday’s pre-season game between the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans, Tagovailoa showed off his new skills.

When bring rushed by the Texans’ Sheldon Rankins, Tagovailoa performed a roll that ensured his head was protected all the way through the play.

“Great to see Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa purposely rolling to the ground instead of hitting his head on the turf during today’s game,” the MLFootball account tweeted.

“Using what he was taught in Jujutsu to help keep his head safe.”

An underwhelming performance from Tua Tagovailoa

Miami won the game 28-3, but not because of Tua Tagovailoa‘s efforts.

The starting quarterback only made seven throws and he completed five of them for 61 yards, but he threw one interception and no touchdowns.

Instead, Skylar Thompson was the star for the Dolphins‘ offense as he finished 15/22 for 157 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Let me tell you what he wasn’t doing – he wasn’t in the gym, I bet you that. He might have spent a lot of time in the tattoo parlor. He was not at the dinner table eating what the nutritionist had advised. He looks happy. He thick. He built like girls [working] at Onyx in Atlanta right now.

Ryan Clark

To clarify, Onyx is a renowned strip club in Atlanta.

With a 10-pound increase in weight from the previous year, now listed at 227 pounds in the Dolphins‘ training camp roster, Tua Tagovailoa didn’t let the comments slide without a response.

Starting off with a touch of irony, Tua stated, “I mean he probably knows more about me than I know about myself.” He expressed his discomfort, noting, “It’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people.”

The quarterback’s reaction went a little deeper as he highlighted the importance of respect, drawing from his Samoan background. “I come from a Samoan family where respect is everything,” Tagovailoa emphasized. He added

But it does get to a point where – hey, little easy on that, buddy. Because I think we’re pretty tough-minded people, and if we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy, too. Just saying.

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua gained weight to protect his body

Tagovailoa‘s changes in his physique are intentional. Hoping a stronger frame would guard him against injuries, he said, “Everything I did this offseason entailed what would keep me on the field for the entirety of the season.” While the quarterback admitted to bulking up, it wasn’t exactly what he wanted. “You think I wanted to build all this muscle? Nah,” he said, suggesting there’s more behind-the-scenes than what’s apparent.

Tua didn’t hold his tongue with his closing statement to the media, that seemed to be aimed directly at Clark:

So I’d appreciate if you kept my name out your mouth, that’s what I’d say.

Tua Tagovailoa