He’s drafted, signed, marketed enough that his jerseys rank first and second in NFL sales (Tom Brady is motivated by being No. 8) and even bought his mother a Cadillac Escalade for Mother’s Day (talk about pressure for a Father’s Day gift next month).
And, please, don’t decree Tagovailoa’s frail body belongs on the shelf to rehab his rookie year, like some endangered species, while his offense line develops. Please don’t flatly say he should be redshirted his first season as if to preserve future eligibility. Please don’t an imbecile.
If the doctors say Tagovailoa can play – and that’s all we heard from his camp leading into the draft – there’s no reason Tagovailoa should simply be told to sit in the corner until next year.