Quarterback ya Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa alongwaki na mpasi na quarter ya misato
The third concussion of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s NFL career occurred in the third quarter of Miami Dolphins’ 31-10 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
When Tagovailoa scrambled up the middle for a first down late in the third quarter, he dipped his shoulder to make contact with Bills defender Damar Hamlin. As soon as Tagovailoa’s helmet made firm contact with Hamlin’s torso, the quarterback reacted angrily, arching his arms in an unusual way.
Players knelt around him as Dolphins medical trainers ministered to him for many minutes. In the end, he managed to leave the field on his own and enter the team’s locker room, thus he was promptly declared out.
Coach of Miami Mike McDaniel remarked, “I was just worried about my guy,” after the game. “Not something that you ever want to be a part of.”
According to McDaniel, Tagovailoa will go through a “proper procedural evaluation” before a decision is reached about the next course of action. The squad is “taking it one day at a time,” he said. A timeframe (for a comeback) is the last thing on my mind.”
In the locker room, McDaniel claimed to have spoken with Tagovailoa, who was “in good spirits.”
When Tagovailoa struck his head on the ground during a game against the Bills in 2022, it garnered a lot of attention. He staggered back into the Dolphins’ huddle and left the game for a short while before coming back, citing a back ailment.
After the NFLPA and the NFL launched a joint inquiry into Tagovailoa’s treatment, the NFLPA used its right to terminate the independent neurological consultant who gave Tagovailoa the all-clear to play again. In addition, the NFL changed its concussion policy to include an ataxia clause, which gives a spotter the authority to remove players from the field if they exhibit certain concussion symptoms.
A similar knock to the back of Tagovailoa’s head during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals four days later left him momentarily unconscious. He was sent to a nearby hospital, where a concussion was identified. Following his game, the Dolphins and coach Mike McDaniel came under fire for letting him play.
After missing two games, Tagovailoa made his way back to the field, but on December 25, when playing against the Green Bay Packers, he was again sidelined with a concussion. The Dolphins shut him down for the remainder of the season this time.
After talking with his family, Tagovailoa claimed he briefly pondered retiring after the 2022 season. As he said in an interview with “The Dan Le Batard Show,” his mother had begged him to think about retirement. He declined and instead used the offseason to practice in jiu-jitsu and bulk up so he could learn how to fall without hitting his skull on the floor.
His participation in all 17 regular-season games in 2023 and the Dolphins’ playoff defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs proved that the training was effective. Upon agreeing to a four-year, $212.1 million contract deal this summer, he became the highest-paid player in the history of the team.
In lieu of Tagovailoa, third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson entered the game.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” Thompson added. “Everyone in the organization would agree that you care more about the person than the athlete. I’m really praying for Tua, and hopefully everything works out.”
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” said Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.
After the game, Allen posted on Amazon, saying, “He’s an even greater human being than he is a great football player.” “He is among the greatest people in the earth. He has my undying affection, and I’m just hoping and praying that everything works out for him and his family. But gosh, it’s hard. This is one of the low points of the football game we play, which has its highs and lows.”
