After the Dolphins’ 24-0 win over the Jets came to an end, reporters at the game shared pictures of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the field by himself after everyone else went to the locker room.
Tagovailoa was on a video call with his parents, who weren’t at Sunday’s game to see their son play in the NFL for the first time. Tagovailoa completed two passes for nine yards after replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick for the final two minutes of the game.
“I think it was a very special moment for me because my parents weren’t here,” Tagovailoa said, via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “I couldn’t remember where we ended our drive at, so I FaceTimed my parents from where we ended our drive at.”
Tagovailoa had not played in a game since hurting his hip while at Alabama last season and said his conversation with his parents was about the journey from that point to playing on Sunday. There’s still much more ahead for him, but Sunday was a nice way to take first steps at the professional level.