MADRID — As Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota dined together with his mother and father and brother Tuesday evening, one thought dominated their dialogue: Are you able to imagine soccer took Mariota from a tiny highschool in Hawaii a few years in the past to beginning within the first NFL recreation performed in Spain?
“By no means in my wildest desires would I think about I might be sitting right here right now,” Mariota mentioned. “We have been like, ‘That is wild.’ My dad was like, ‘That is unbelievable that we’re sitting right here right now and also you’re taking part in soccer and this recreation has introduced us right here.'”
However Mariota shouldn’t be the one quarterback from Saint Louis Excessive College in Honolulu to begin on this recreation. That, after all, can be the place Tua Tagovailoa started his taking part in profession, following in Mariota’s footsteps.
Sunday’s recreation between two 3-7 groups (9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Community, NFL+) was imagined to be a matchup between Jayden Daniels and Tagovailoa, however Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow two weeks in the past. That paved the way in which for Mariota to begin, doing so in opposition to a participant he has mentored since Tagovailoa was in highschool.
Tagovailoa was a junior in highschool when Mariota started working with him at camps. Tagovailoa as soon as mentioned that when others pushed him away, Mariota would pull him apart at a time when Mariota was one of many prime quarterbacks within the nation.
Although many assumed that Tagovailoa would observe Mariota and play at Oregon, he pivoted and headed for Alabama — all with Mariota’s help.
“Lots of people know I regarded as much as Marcus after I was in highschool,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “I used to be a giant fan of him, nonetheless am, simply of the person who he’s outdoors of the participant and simply glad for his success. I do know he is been going by way of ebbs and flows all through years and groups, however should you get to know the form of individual he’s, I believe the taking part in and whatnot is second.”
Mariota has all the time deflected reward for serving to Tagovailoa.
However each quarterbacks have had success and failure within the NFL. Mariota was the second choose by Tennessee in 2015, however accidents and benchings have led to an up-and-down profession; he is together with his fifth franchise — as a extremely valued backup.
Tagovailoa has performed with solely Miami because it drafted him fifth in 2020. He has made the Professional Bowl (2023) and suffered accidents, together with three documented concussions, since coming into the NFL. He has been praised and criticized.
However he is nonetheless the starter in Miami, and he is hoping time abroad can assist spark the curiosity of a younger participant from one other nation.
“I believe it is a actually cool alternative for lots of the children again dwelling in Hawaii and a number of the children in Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, wherever they’re throughout the Pacific,” Tagovailoa mentioned, “to have the ability to see two Polynesian quarterbacks go at it. After which it is also cool to see all the pieces come full circle with me having the ability to look as much as Marcus, to having an opportunity to play in opposition to him.”
Mariota agreed.
“For Tua and myself, we grew up in the course of the Pacific,” he mentioned, “far-off from right here. The truth that we get an opportunity to be a part of this recreation is particular, and I do not take that with no consideration in any respect.”
