Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is in “good spirits” after being released from a Cincinnati hospital and flying back to Miami “in a neck brace” following his concussion in Thursday’s loss .
Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is reportedly in “good spirits” in Florida after being released from a Cincinnati hospital Thursday night following the concussion he suffered in the Los Angeles loss. Dolphins against the Bengals.
He is expected to undergo an MRI and has been wearing a neck brace as a precaution after the 6-foot-3, 340-pound Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou tackled him to the turf.
Initial tests did not reveal any structural damage, a source told ESPN, but he was diagnosed with a concussion. The good news is that he never lost feeling in his extremities.
Tagovailoa was carried off the field in Cincinnati on a stretcher after his head hit the grass with Tupou’s punch. The former Alabama star seemed to freeze almost immediately after the blow as his hands froze in an unnatural position.
Subsequently, Dolphins first-year coach Mike McDaniel revealed that Tagovailoa called him out after going down.
“I realized he wasn’t the same guy I was used to seeing,” McDaniel said. ‘It was a scary moment. He was evaluated for a concussion. He’s on concussion protocol, but he’s being released.
‘It’s an emotional moment. It’s not part of the deal you sign up for. His teammates and I were very worried, but they checked him out and it’s no more serious than a concussion.
Thursday’s terrifying injury comes just four days after a similar scene in Miami, where Tagovailoa left Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills with an apparent head injury, only to return and lead the Dolphins to an upset victory.
Afterwards, Tagovailoa and the team insisted that he did not have a concussion, but was instead dealing with an aggravated back injury.
