Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa sustains concussion in 31-10 loss to Bills

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday’s recreation in opposition to the Buffalo Payments with a concussion, the team announced.

After a fourth-down run within the third quarter, Tagovailoa collided head-first with Payments security Damar Hamlin as he went to the bottom. Tagovailoa’s teammates instantly known as for trainers as he lay on the sector earlier than he ultimately walked off underneath his personal energy.

Tagovailoa’s spouse and two kids met him within the Dolphins’ locker room, based on Amazon’s Kaylee Hartung.

“We’re advised he’s aware, awake and alert, simply as he was strolling off this discipline on his personal energy,” Hartung stated on the published after the sport, a 31-10 Payments win. “We’re additionally advised he has full motion in his extremities.” 

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel stated he noticed Tagovailoa within the locker room and stated he was “in good spirits.” Requested a couple of attainable timeline for Tagovailoa’s return, McDaniel refused to reply.

“Proper now it’s extra about getting a correct procedural analysis tomorrow after which taking it someday at a time,” McDaniel stated postgame. “The furthest factor from my thoughts is what’s the timeline. We simply want to guage. I’m simply fearful about my teammate like the remainder of the blokes are. We’ll get extra info tomorrow after which take it day-to-day from there.”

Final season was the one 12 months in his profession through which Tagovailoa appeared in each recreation for the Dolphins. In 2022, he performed in simply 13 video games as he sustained two concussions.

Towards the Cincinnati Bengals in a Thursday night time recreation that season, Tagovailoa suffered his first concussion, exhibiting the “fencing response” after his head hit the bottom on a sack.

The concussion Tagovailoa sustained in opposition to the Bengals got here on the heels of an argument through which the NFL Gamers Affiliation believed he wasn’t correctly evaluated for a concussion 4 days earlier in a recreation in opposition to Buffalo. Tagovailoa briefly left that recreation with an damage however wasn’t checked for a concussion, ultimately main the NFLPA to fireplace the impartial neurotrauma marketing consultant answerable for pulling gamers with suspected head accidents off the sector. The controversy resulted in a brand new concussion protocol for NFL gamers.

Tagovailoa was concussed once more later within the 12 months in a recreation in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers, although he wasn’t identified with a concussion till the day after the sport.

Tagovailoa stated earlier than this season that his mother and father requested him to contemplate retirement after his concussions in 2022 however that he opted to maintain enjoying after having consulted a health care provider.

“We went and seen a health care provider. … I bought to get all the knowledge that I wanted to listen to from on whether or not it was a good suggestion or wasn’t a good suggestion” to maintain enjoying, Tagovailoa advised Meadowlark Media’s Dan Le Batard. He added his mother and father supported his choice to maintain enjoying.

Tagovailoa is in his fifth season with the Dolphins, who chosen him with the fifth choose within the 2020 draft. He led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards final season. Coming into Thursday, he was 33-19 in his profession, with 82 touchdowns and 37 interceptions.

In July, the Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract, with $167 million assured.

Skylar Thompson, who changed Tagovailoa at quarterback Thursday, stated seeing what occurred to his teammate “makes me sick.”

“In my place, you by no means need to have your alternative include one thing like that,” he stated after the sport. “I’ve loads of love for Tua. I’ve constructed an important relationship with him. You care concerning the particular person greater than the participant. Everyone within the group would say the identical factor. Simply actually praying for Tua and hopefully all the things will come out all proper.”