Tua Tagovailoa took to social media to thank people for the outpouring of support he received after being taken to the hospital with a concussion at Thursday’s NFL game.
“I want to thank everyone for all of their prayers and support since last night’s game,” he wrote. ‘It was hard not being able to finish the game and be there with my teammates, but I am grateful for the support and care I have received from the Dolphins, my friends and family, and everyone who has reached out.
“I feel much better and focused on recovering so I can get back on the pitch with my teammates.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel also spoke about Tagovailoa on Friday but declined to put a timetable for his return.
“What’s missing in all of this is human relationships,” McDaniel said. These aren’t just players, they’re people we mutually invest in, someone I’ve gotten really, really close with.
“When it comes to head injuries and concussions, things that work, the only thing I care about is the person. I am concerned that he recovers, that he has all the tests done and that we work with him and feel good where the injury is. We’ll cross the bridge for whatever time it takes, but we haven’t thought about that yet.
Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered out after a troubling second hit in just four days: Coach Mike McDaniel (right) said he spoke to his QB when he was carried off the field.
The 24-year-old required extensive treatment on the pitch in worrying scenes.
Tagovailoa was carried off the field on a stretcher before being taken to a nearby hospital.
The incident occurred when the Bengals’ Josh Tupou tackled Tagovailoa in the first half.
Just four days earlier, Tagovailoa stumbled after a hit and appeared to be in shock.
Tagovailoa was left on a stretcher and went straight to the hospital with head and neck injuries Thursday night after regressing in pain and needing prolonged treatment for a tough tackle when the Dolphins faced the Bengals.
He was controversially deemed fit to play for the Dolphins just four days after he appeared to struggle with a concussion in Sunday’s win over the Bills.
But after a tackle by the Bengals’ 6-foot-3, 340-pound Josh Tupou, quarterback Tagovailoa hit the back of his head, went down and was visibly distressed by the pain he was in.
He required sustained treatment from multiple doctors before being stretchered off and headed to the hospital at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Fortunately, Tagovailoa was released and flew home with the team Thursday night.
Tagovailoa’s hands seemed to go into the fencing response upon landing, which is an unnatural position for the arms after a concussion.
The Amazon Prime review said Tagovailoa, 24, had head and neck injuries but was able to talk to coach Mike McDaniel before going to the hospital and asked him about the play in question.
When Tupou knocked him down, he fell backward at high speed, causing the back of his head to hit the ground. The entire Dolphins team gathered around midfield as his teammate was being treated. As he was carried off the field, the crowd chanted ‘Tua! You!’
The Dolphins said in a statement: ‘Tua Tagovailoa has been taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. She is conscious and has movement in all of her limbs.’|
Speaking after the game, which the Dolphins lost 15-27, Coach McDaniel said: ‘It was a scary moment. He was evaluated for a concussion and is on concussion protocol. He is about to be discharged. That was an emotional moment.
“The best news we can get is that everything is fine, that he has nothing more serious than a concussion and that he will be back with us here on the plane.”
Chris Nowinski, a Harvard-educated neuroscientist and critic of concussion management in the NFL, reacted with immediate outrage on Twitter.
Sharing a clip of the incident on Thursday, he said: ‘This is a mess. Pray for Tua. Fire medical staff and trainers. I predicted this and I hate being right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022?
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes summed up the mood of everyone watching when he tweeted, “Let’s pray man.”
The NFL Players Association tweeted: “Player health and safety is at the core of the union’s mission. Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a speedy and full recovery. Our investigation into the possible protocol violation is ongoing.
Even before the game started, Nowinski tweeted, “If Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a huge step backwards for #concussioncare in the NFL.”
If he has a second concussion that destroys his season or his career, everyone involved will be sued and should lose their jobs, including the coaches. We all saw it, even they must know that this is not right.
In Sunday’s game with the Bills, Tagovailoa appeared disoriented after a challenge and briefly left the field after hitting the back of his head on the turf. He tripped over his feet and his teammates had to hold him up.
He was facing a third-and-3 play from the Miami 21-yard line when he ran and found Jaylen Waddle for an 8-yard gain. After fumbled the ball, Tagovailoa was hit — a two-handed shove to the chest — by Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano, who was called for roughing the passer.
Tagovailoa’s return raised some questions. The NFL announced Wednesday that they were reviewing how he returned to the game, but upon returning to the field in the second half, the Dolphins announced that Tagovailoa had suffered a back injury and did not have a concussion.
The Dolphins team gathered around midfield as they tended to their teammate
Tagovailoa’s hands seemed to go into the fencing response upon landing, which is an unnatural position for the arms after a concussion.
Tupou (center) watches as Tagovailoa receives medical care after his crash
Tagovailoa described the incident later, saying it had aggravated a back problem.
“On the quarterback lead, my legs got caught under someone and they were trying to push back and I felt like I hyperextended my back or something,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “Then on the next play, I hit my back a little bit… that’s where I tripped.’
Speaking Monday, Coach McDaniel said the health of his players is something he approaches with caution.
“The one thing that I think our players know more than anyone else is that there are certain things that I’m very sensitive to.” I’ve been called emotional from time to time, and one of those things is player health,” McDaniel said.
‘So I don’t mess with that at all. They went through the protocols and in that process during the game, and it was something that we wouldn’t have moved in the direction that we did, if there had been some kind of red flag because that’s… you can’t shut out quarterbacks. countryside. out of danger so I wouldn’t… if I had a problem with my head, I wouldn’t have gone back there.
Quarterback Tagovailoa was deemed okay to play for the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night
Tagovailoa maintained that he only injured his back on Sunday and had not suffered a concussion.
Tagovailoa said he “passed whatever concussion protocol they had,” adding, “I’m fine.”
However, vocal critic Nowinski took issue with that explanation on Twitter.
“I’m calling *** nonsense on ‘rear fit theory,'” Nowinski tweeted. ‘Look at the video. Tua shakes her head several times to “clear the cobwebs”, which is a specific sign of visual impairment after a #concussion. She too stumbles to get up before falling. Her comeback is a flop @NFL.’
He was listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, but ultimately the Dolphins decided he was well enough to play.
