Tua considered retirement after concussions

It was a brief thought after he was diagnosed with two concussions last season and many questioned if it was safe for the 25-year-old Miami Dolphins quarterback to continue playing.

But after talking to his family and doctors, Tagovailoa ruled out retirement and started training in martial arts this offseason to help reduce head injuries.

“I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “It’s my health. It’s my body. And I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family. I love the game of football. If I didn’t, I would have quit a long time ago.”

Now, Tagovailoa is learning how to fall.

Though he’s still early in his jiu jitsu training — a white belt — Tagovailoa is working on ways to land more safely when he’s on the field.

Lawyers representing more than 40 former team employees are asking the NFL to make the sale of the Washington Commanders contingent on Dan Snyder not suing people who participated in various investigations.

Attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz made the request in a letter sent to league Commissioner Roger Goodell by email Wednesday. Banks and Katz asked for protection for their clients and others who spoke to Beth Wilkinson, Mary Jo White and Congress as part of investigations into Snyder and the team.

“Given Mr. Snyder’s well-earned reputation for being vindictive and litigious, and the experience of several of our clients who were harassed by private investigators, this is a very real concern for those who came forward,” Banks and Katz wrote in the letter viewed by The Associated Press. “Although we are confident that any such litigation would be meritless … the emotional, financial and professional toll on these individuals to defend against even a baseless lawsuit would be incalculable.”

In a phone interview with the AP, Banks said it was prudent to be concerned about Snyder retaliating against those who spoke out against him.

“It’s something that is easily addressed to ensure that it doesn’t happen,” Banks said. “If he has no interest or intention to bring legal action against anybody who participated or made allegations against him, then he should have no problem agreeing to that type of provision.”

Banks said the NFL had confirmed receipt of the letter, but not gotten any further response.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By the time Calvin Ridley first stepped on a practice field with Trevor Lawrence a few weeks ago, he felt as if he already had played a full season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That’s because Ridley watched every snap Jacksonville took last season “10 or 12 times” while wrapping up his yearlong suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. He broke down formations, routes and coverages, envisioning himself in each of those situations alongside Lawrence, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram.

It was the most he could do from afar. And he hopes it will help him catch up and maybe even be better than before after a nearly two-year layoff.

“I know who I am. I can help them,” Ridley said Wednesday. “Like, I really mean that. I know I can help move the ball. We should be able to move the ball.”

The NFL reinstated Ridley early last month and cleared the way for him to join his new team in Jacksonville. Ridley spent the past five weeks getting to know the city and, more importantly, the playbook. He’s already worked out “three of four times” with Lawrence and others, catching passes and getting a feel for what could be one of the more dynamic offenses in the league.

OBIT: San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame linebacker Dave Wilcox has died at age 80. The Pro Football Hall of Fame says Wilcox died Wednesday. The Hall did not disclose a cause of death. Wilcox is also the father of California football coach Justin Wilcox. Wilcox was drafted out of Oregon in 1964 by the 49ers and the Houston Oilers of the AFL.

SEAHAWKS: Seattle coach Pete Carroll says both safety Jamal Adams and linebacker Jordyn Brooks are hopeful of being ready for training camp this summer.

BENGALS: Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing over allegations that he threatened and pointed a gun at a woman in Cincinnati earlier this year.