Your TagovailoaMr Trump’s family joined him in the evaluation room.
THE The Miami Dolphins The quarterback then joined his teammates in the locker room after they all had lost 31-10 At Buffalo Billsas the franchise wondered how many games they had lost that night.
In the short term, the Dolphins lost Tagovailoa for the final 19 minutes and 36 seconds of the game against the third concussion diagnosed in his career.
But could his latest football scare lead to a longer sideline?
The Dolphins were worried — about the father, the husband and the teammate whose humanity overwhelmed them, his performance Thursday taking a back seat.
“I’m just worried about the human being,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “I was just worried about my guy. It’s not something you want to be a part of. You hope you don’t have to be a part of it.”
The Dolphins faced a fourth-and-4 in the final five minutes of the third quarter, when Tagovailoa drove down the field to convert on a quarterback sneak. He then ducked his head into the Bills safety Damar Hamlinand fell under the force of the contact.
Tagovailoa’s horizontal arm folded in an apparent fencing reaction associated with traumatic brain injury.
Prayers for Tua Tagovailoa. Note his right hand clenching into a fist and his arm rising straight into the air. This is a posture and sign of loss of consciousness and #concussion. Definitely out for the game. It’s so sad. pic.twitter.com/e6wYIDVaZa
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 13, 2024
He limped off the field and returned to the locker room, where minutes later he was sent off with a concussion.
Opposing Quarterback Josh Allen “You can’t help but feel compassion for him.”
“He’s a great football player, but he’s an even greater human being,” Allen said on Amazon Prime’s postgame show. “He’s one of the greatest human beings on the planet. I have a lot of love for him, I pray for him and his family, I hope everything is going well.”
“It’s tough, man. This game of football we play has its ups and downs, and this is definitely one of the downs.”
Hamlin, who has his own experience of a serious medical incident in the fieldalso showed his support for Tagovailoa on social media.
My love and prayers with @Tua fasho.. Sending you strength and healing for a speedy recovery. 🙏🏾 lots of love broski.
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) September 13, 2024
Thursday marks the third diagnosed concussion of Tagovailoa’s career, with two concussions in 2022 prompting him to consider retirement this offseason.
Tagovailoa has not spoken publicly while he is in concussion protocol. McDaniel was asked if it was safe for his quarterback to continue playing football.
“I think it’s from a medical standpoint. I don’t go into things that I’m way less expert in,” McDaniel said, visibly shaken. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to make predictions about things that I don’t know in my area of expertise. We’ll know more tomorrow about Tua’s situation. He can spend a lot of time being evaluated.”
“We will then have discussions and move forward as appropriate.”
Part of the discussion is going to be whether he should keep playing. Never again. That’s the reality. It makes me sick. But that’s part of the discussion now. I just want this man to be safe and healthy. Damn it.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) September 13, 2024
McDaniel declined to give a timetable for Tagovailoa’s recovery, saying he would get a “proper procedural evaluation” Friday and “then take it day by day from there.”
The coach, whom Tagovailoa credits with reviving his football career after an initial stint under Brian Flores, said he talked to his quarterback first on the field and then in the locker room. Tagovailoa was in “good spirits,” McDaniel said, but there was concern nonetheless.
McDaniel was concerned for Tagovailoa as he navigated his latest scare.
And Tagovailoa, McDaniel said, was concerned about his teammates, “trying to keep guys’ heads up.”
“I think when something happens to an individual and you see their reaction is that they’re worried about their teammates, that tells you a lot about the type of person they are,” McDaniel said.
“He knows what he represents for this team and he is very aware of that because he knows there are a lot of players who are worried.
“Just another example of his character and leadership.”