The Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard arranged a celebrity softball game for charity and his teammates including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and wide receivers Tyreek Hill as well as Jaylen Waddle couldn’t halt back from being a part of their fellow teammate’s initiative.
Tagovailoa, known for his accurate passing and quick decision-making, showcased an incredible display of athleticism and skill during the friendly softball game, earning a loud cheer from the crowd in his favor.
Tua Tagovailoa’s power display on the softball field
The inaugural Xavien Howard Celebrity Softball Game takes place at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and includes family activities, a home run derby along with seven innings of softball.
Before the softball innings, the Dolphins QB said he wasn’t sure if or when he had ever played the game, however, he left fans in awe by slamming a home run to left field and the audience started chanting “Tua! Tua! Tua!”
The 25-year-old veteran star was touched by the cheers of the fans saying, “You get to see lots of people and hear a lot of their stories, and hear a lot about their background.”
Tua Tagovailoa led off the Xavien Howard celebrity softball game in WPB with a home run
“Tua! Tua! Tua!” fans chanted pic.twitter.com/BYXLq5vhlf
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) June 17, 2023
The event would benefit United Way in West Palm Beach and Howard said the initiative was taken to do a little favor to his city where he got immense support over time,
“Man, I feel like (Florida) is home for me. You know, I’ve been here more than eight years. And you know, we’ve got a lot of support here. I just want to give a shout-out, look-out for the West Palm fans.”
Besides Tua, Hill, and Waddle, Deshon Elliot, Trill Williams, Bobby McCain, Duke Johnson, Bruce Thompson, David Canter, and Madeinphlly are also participants of the event.
NFL analyst showers praise on Tua and Tyreek duo
The Kansas City Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks in 2022 and his addition worked like a booster for Tagovailoa as the Dolphins QB witnessed an upward trajectory in his performance, the league in passer rating (105.5) and yards per attempt (8.9) last season.
Fox Sports popular NFL analyst Joy Taylor hailed the pair as the top QB-WR in the league and heaped praise on the ex-Chiefs star for his unique athleticism and proven track record.
“I think it’s Tua and Tyreek. I don’t really disagree with your list again. I think it’s splitting hairs and I do think that Justin Jefferson makes things very very difficult. But I would say too in Tyreek not just because of the numbers. I mean Tyreek was second in receiving yards and receptions last year but he’s gotten busy in multiple places year after year after year. He is one of the most unique players in the NFL right now. Maybe one of the most unique players we’ve ever seen,” said Joy.
The six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver recorded 88 receptions out of 126 targets from the Dolphins’ QB for 1,299 yards along with seven touchdowns throughout 13 games they played together and almost a quarter of the WR’s receptions from Tua went for at least 20 yards.
Tagovailoa is heading to the fourth season with the Dolphins in the fall and with his new veteran WR, the young star is expected to shine even brighter under the guidance of first-year coach Mike McDaniel.
