Tua Tagovailoa’s ever-growing injury concerns took a terrifying turn.
Near the end of the second quarter of the Dolphins’ 27-15 “Thursday Night Football” loss to the Bengals, Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher with head and neck injuries.
Tagovailoa was sacked by Cincinnati defensive lineman Josh Tupou, who whipped him around as he brought him down. Tagovailoa landed directly on his head, which slammed right off the field.
He was conscious and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center, according to the Amazon Prime broadcast. He has movement in all his extremities, the team announced.
Near the end of the game, the broadcast announced that Tagovailoa will be discharged and is expected to travel back with the team.
When cameras panned closer to Tagovailoa, who remained in distress on the ground, his fingers could be seen visibly crooked. Play-play-play man Al Michaels and analyst Kirk Herbstreit explained on the broadcast that Tagovailoa’s finger misalignment is likely a response to a neurological shock, likely caused by the extreme blow to his head.
Just last week, Tagovailoa suffered a similar scary injury during the Dolphins’ win over the Bills. He was driven back on a hit by Buffalo pass rusher Matt Milano, and slammed his head against the ground as he landed. After trying to get up and run a few steps back to the huddle, he collapsed and was helped off the field.
He returned in the second half of that game, however, having passed the NFL’s concussion protocols. That return, and the medical clearance and processes involved in checking for a potential head injury or concussion, prompted controversy and an NFL Players Association investigation.
Just four days later, it’s gotten even scarier.
“Absolutely not,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters after the game when asked if he would have done anything differently on Sunday’s after the first injury. “Absolutely not. If I would have, that would be irresponsible in the first place and I shouldn’t be in this position.
“If there’s any inclination that someone has a concussion, they go into concussion protocol. … We don’t mess with that. Never have.”
Immediately after the hit, the NFL community was outspoken in support of Tagovailoa.
Backup Teddy Bridgewater replaced Tagovailoa in the game. The Bengals were leading 7-6 at the time.