Tua Tagovailoa throws in workout taped for NFL teams in lieu of pro day

ByABC News
April 9, 2020, 5:29 PM

Tua Tagovailoa participated in a one-hour private workout in place of a traditional pro day on Thursday, his representatives told ESPN, while his agent spoke out to allay concerns about the quarterback's hip.

The former Alabama star ran through 55 scripted throws and another 20 throws in a dynamic drill setting at a private gym with fewer than 10 people present, in order to follow health and safety guidelines set forth during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tagovailoa's team will distribute video of the workout to all 32 NFL teams ahead of this month's draft, in which the quarterback is expected to be a first-round pick.

The workout came one week after Tagovailoa underwent a voluntary medical recheck on his hip facilitated by the NFL combine, the results of which "were overwhelmingly positive," according to his representatives. Tagovailoa suffered a posterior wall fracture and dislocated hip and underwent surgery in November.

Earlier Thursday, Tagovailoa's agent, Leigh Steinberg, shrugged off what he called "overblown" concerns about his client's injury history, citing the doctors who have examined him.

"He's actually had a couple of months since the combine to heal and probably the best authorities are the two doctors who have been able to put their hands on him -- Lyle Cain who is at Alabama and Chip Routt in Houston, and he was the one that operated on him," Steinberg said on 790 The Ticket in South Florida. "Both of them have been very clear that Tua's health is fine, and there's no recurrence that's going to happen here."

Tagovailoa told ESPN last week that he was "100 percent right now" and "ready to go."

"There are teams that are focused and have their eyes on Tua, and they aren't worried about someone going on television and prognosticating that Tua's health is bad," Steinberg said Thursday. "They have done their own check, and they are listening to the doctors that are treating him right now. The two doctors I'm referencing give him flying colors and predict a very healthy future."

Steinberg also said it is "unclear" whether Tagovailoa would still be available for the Miami Dolphins to select with the draft's fifth pick, although he noted that Tua would be "happy" to play for the Dolphins or any other team that drafts him.

ESPN's Laura Rutledge and Cameron Wolfe contributed to this report.