It only took two months for diehard Dolphins fan Darius Rucker’s hypothetical collaboration with Tua Tagovailoa to happen in real life. They joined up in Las Vegas while other NFLers cheered them on from the crowd.
The whole thing came together back in December when Peyton Manning sang along to the sultry sounds of Tagovailoa’s guitar on Monday Night Football. Miami’s 25-year-old quarterback played some Eric Clapton live on ESPN and proved that his talent isn’t just a gimmick. He can really play!
Not long thereafter, a Dolphins fan account tagged Rucker and encouraged a collaboration.
Hootie responded by saying “I’m in.” Tua Tagovailoa replied with a pair of rock music emojis.
It all came together on Friday night!
EA Sports teamed up with the NFLPA to host an after party called at House of Blues Las Vegas. Tagovailoa hosted the event. Darius Rucker and Hit-Boy (a Grammy-award winning producer and rapper who produced the Madden soundtrack) performed.
Of course, the event provided the perfect opportunity for a musical collaboration. Tagovailoa traded his emcee duties for a guitar and joined Rucker on stage to sing the OCMS hit ‘Wagon Wheel.’
Meanwhile, Daniel Jones sang along in full voice. He wasn’t invited on stage, which was probably for the best, but he was belting out every word in the audience! It was so perfectly on-brand.
Credit to Tagovailoa for holding his own next to one of music’s biggest legends. He was having a blast.
So was Jones. The Giants’ signal-caller may have actually been the highlight of the video, even though Tagovailoa and Rucker singing together is pretty special. His joy was infectious and someone who often shies away from the spotlight was able to let loose in his element. There is no way that he didn’t sing along to Wagon Wheel at parties down in Durham while in college.
Everything about the collaboration was awesome! Las Vegas should host the Super Bowl every year.