It was a homecoming for Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa over the weekend, and it was for the benefit of the local youths in his community. 

The Dolphins’ star quarterback held his inaugural youth football camp put on by his foundation on Saturday.  The camp was held at Kunuiakea Stadium in Honolulu.

Tagovailoa was joined by a couple of his Dolphins teammates in left tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

“This was awesome with it being our first Tua Foundation football camp out here,” Tagovailoa said.  “I remember at one point I was in these kids’ shoes, and guys like Manti (Te’o) and Marcus (Mariota), they would come back and have things like this.  This really is truly about giving back to the youth, giving back to the community that have helped you become who you are, and that’s sort of what I believe.

“So doing this was very special for me.  in a way, it’s kind of happy sad because I’ve waited a little longer than I probably should have to have done something like this, but I’m excited that we got to get this one done, and we look forward to next year’s.”

The move is obviously very beneficial for local Hawaiian youths who don’t have the opportunity to take advantage of the plentiful opportunities that those on the mainland have.  Mariota, who Tagovailoa referenced, has also been active in trying to provide opportunities for local players who otherwise might not get the attention of coaches on the mainland.

Now, it sounds from Tagovailoa’s comments that it will be an annual thing moving forward in the islands, which is certainly a win for continuing to grow the game in the Aloha State.