Manti Te’o got emotional on Good Morning Football Friday morning when discussing Tua Tagovailoa and the latest injury scare that has shaken the family around the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback. Te’o said he wanted Tagovailoa to retire in 2022 after the concussion he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Now, he said he just wants what is best for Tagovailoa and his family.

“I just hope he makes the right decision,” Te’o said. “I’m not saying to step away from the game. As a brother, I just want the best for you and whatever that looks like for Tua and the Tagovailoa family, that’s what I want for him.

During Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was knocked out of the game after colliding with the chest of Bills defender Damar Hamlin. Teammates immediately surrounded him and called for trainers to meet him on the field. Tagovailoa was able to walk off under his own power, but the scene looked all too familiar to what happened during a Thursday Night Football game against the Bengals 2 years ago.

In the aftermath of another scary head injury, many have wondered if it’s time for the former national champion to step away from football.

“After he suffered the one against the Bengals I wanted him to walk,” Te’o said on GMF. “When I saw him have to be carted off the field, I wanted him to walk. That was hard.

“When you watch a young man that you’ve known since he was a little boy go out there… Is it hard for me? Yeah. But I can’t imagine how to is for Uncle Galu and Auntie Diane to watch their son again go down. … I want the best for Tua, the man, the father. He’s a father of 2 now. I want him to be able, not today, but 10, 15, 20 years down the line to raise his children, to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle”.

Tagovailoa has seen an outpouring of support from the NFL community since the injury. Bills quarterback Josh Allen said Thursday night he’s praying for his friend, who he called “one of the best humans on the planet.” Hamlin posted on social media late Thursday night that his “love and prayers” were with Tagovailoa.

At 26, Tagovailoa is in his fifth NFL season. He has suffered at least 3 serious concussions from hits suffered on the field. He is currently under contract with the Dolphins through 2028.

Coach Mike McDaniels told reporters Friday morning there is no talk of a timeline right now for Tagovailoa’s return to football-related activities.

“First and foremost, I’m not assessing the injury through the lens of, ‘Alright, so what does this mean for him playing?’ ” McDaniel said. “Really, for me, I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day, and in that, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.”