Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, left Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Bills due to a concussion, as confirmed by the team.
The incident occurred during a fourth-down run in the third quarter when Tagovailoa collided head-first with Bills safety Damar Hamlin after falling to the ground. Immediate concern from his teammates prompted trainers to come out as Tagovailoa remained on the field before eventually walking off on his own.
According to Amazon’s Kaylee Hartung, Tagovailoa was reunited with his wife and two children in the Dolphins’ locker room. Hartung shared that he was “conscious, awake, and alert,” similar to when he walked off the field, and noted he had full movement in his extremities.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel reported seeing Tagovailoa in the locker room and described him as being “in good spirits.” However, when questioned about a potential recovery timeline for Tagovailoa, McDaniel declined to provide specifics.
“At this moment, it’s essential to focus on getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow and then take it day by day,” McDaniel stated after the game, which ended with a 31-10 victory for the Bills. “The timeline is the least of my concerns. I’m just focused on my teammate, as are the rest of the guys. We’ll have more information tomorrow and proceed from there.”
Last season marked the first time in his career that Tagovailoa played in every game for the Dolphins. In 2022, he only managed to play 13 games, suffering two concussions. His first concussion that season was against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he displayed the “fencing response” after a sack caused his head to strike the ground.
The concussion against the Bengals followed a controversy where the NFL Players Association believed he had not been adequately evaluated for a concussion just four days prior in a game against the Bills. Tagovailoa had momentarily left that game but was not checked for a concussion, leading to the NFLPA dismissing the independent neurotrauma consultant responsible for assessing players with suspected head injuries. This incident resulted in the implementation of a new concussion protocol for NFL players.
Later that year, Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion following a game against the Green Bay Packers, although he was not officially diagnosed until the day after.
Before this season, Tagovailoa revealed that his parents had urged him to consider retirement because of his concussions in 2022. However, after consulting a doctor, he chose to continue playing. “We went and saw a doctor… I had to get all the information I needed on whether it was a good idea to keep playing,” he stated in an interview. He added that his parents supported his decision.
Tagovailoa, now in his fifth season with the Dolphins after being selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft, led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards last season. Before Thursday’s game, he held a career record of 33-19, with 82 touchdown passes and 37 interceptions.
In July, the Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a substantial four-year, $212.4 million contract, which includes $167 million guaranteed.
Skylar Thompson, who took over as quarterback following Tagovailoa’s departure from the game, expressed his concerns regarding his teammate’s situation, stating that it “makes me sick.”
“You never want to have your opportunity come because of something like this,” Thompson said after the game. “I care about Tua as a person more than as a player. Everybody in the organization shares the same sentiment. I’m just praying for Tua and hoping for a positive outcome.”