NFL
Tua Tagovailoa suffers another concussion sparking retirement concerns
The Miami Dolphins quarterback will be evaluated by concussion specialists as he looks to to return to action.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa raised concerns during Week 2 of Thursday Night Football when he suffered his third concussion in three years, during the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Buffalo Bills.
Such repeated head trauma could lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), potentially impacting his life beyond football. However, this potentially dangerous issue doesn’t seem to deter Tagovailoa.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tagovailoa has no plans to retire despite this latest concussion. He is undergoing evaluations by specialists and intends to return to play once doctors clear him as fit and healthy.
What’s perhaps concerning is that the incident against the Jaguars wasn’t Tagovailoa’s first concussion. He also sustained one in college while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide. His 2019 season was cut short after he was injured during a game against Mississippi State, where he dislocated his hip, fractured his nose, and suffered a concussion all on the same play.
In 2022, Tagovailoa played only 13 games, missing time due to two concussions sustained in games against the Bengals and Packers.
Notably, in Week 3 against the Bills, he was misdiagnosed with a back injury when he was clearly concussed. The NFL players’ union later fired the doctor responsible for his treatment during that game’s concussion protocol.
NFL:
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said he has “zero idea” what any timeline might be: First and foremost, I’m not assessing the injury through the lens of, ‘Alright, so what does this mean for him playing?’ " McDaniel said on Friday. “Really, for me, I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day, and in that, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.”
The Dolphins have won one game and lost the other so far this season: their NFL 2024 was against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who they beat 20-17. That positive result came before the tie against the Buffalo Bills, who managed to overcome the Dolphins 10-31 in a resounding result at Hard Rock Stadium.