Stephen A. Smith and Elle Duncan Had a Unique Conversation About Tua Tagovailoa

A discussion on "First Take" took an interesting turn.

An interesting conversation on First Take. /

First Take dove into the biggest topic in sports on Friday—Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering another concussion. Tagovailoa's football future is very much in jeopardy, and even though it'll take several medical consultations until he makes any type of decision, it's quite predictable that the lingering question carried much of the day's conversations.

Stephen A. Smith and Elle Duncan found a unique prism to have such a dialogue, kicked off by Smith commenting, "I can say this: As men, our mentality a lot of the time is different, You’re willing to put it all on the line to secure the well being of your family in perpetuity, even in the event you’re not around."

“There are sacrifices that I make as a father all the time. I’m not around my daughters as much as I would like to be," Smith continued. "I’m not with my family as much as I would like to be. Sometimes they resent it and what have you. I don’t care. And you know why I don’t care? Because I grew up starving. And as a result of that, anything that I do to ensure the well being of my family moving forward, even in the event that I’m not around—as selfish as that may be—I’m willing to do it because I knew what it was like to grow up with nothing. These football players make those decisions every single day as men. Provide, protect. That’s our number one priority. That’s how most of us think. And that plays a role in the kind of decisions that men make.”

During a discussion about Tua Tagovailoa's concussion, Elle Duncan responded to Stephen A. Smith saying men have a mindset of sacrificing for their families.

"As someone who is a woman who has two scars that go from hip to hip because I've had two C-sections in an effort to… pic.twitter.com/il6mNOTbEy

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2024

Duncan offered her perspective as a counterbalance.

“As someone who is a woman who has two scars that go from hip to hip because I’ve had two C-sections in an effort to provide for my family and create a family for my family, I understand sacrifice,” she said. “A Black woman in this country, whose mortality rates are incredibly high, I understand making sacrifices and trying to mitigate risk when it comes to your family, expanding your family and protecting your family."

This exchange has been aggregated on several different websites already with some expressing some frustration that the talk veered in this direction but it really should be considered that the comlpexity of the situation Tagovailoa is facing transcends any thought of keeping sports directly at the center of frame. And one could argue it's a more interesting back and forth than mere speculating and offering unsolicited advice without having much of the relevant information.