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Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN
Cincinnati – Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was taken to a local hospital with head and neck injuries after being fired in the second quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tagovailoa hit the back of his head with the back of his head and his arm was caught almost immediately when he was dismissed by Bengals nose tackle Josh Tup. He was on the pitch for about 10 minutes before being carried away on a stretcher.
The Dolphins said shortly before halftime that he was awake and fully mobile at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center hospital.
When he was taken away, the entire Dolphins sideline gathered around the midfield.
In Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was assessed for a concussion at halftime after hitting his head on the ground and then stumbled while trying to get back into the crowd. The team initially listed him as a problem returning with a head injury, but later said it was a back injury that caused him to fall. Tagovailoa said later in the week that he passed all assessments before finally returning to the field.
The NFL Players Association has called for a review of the NFL’s concussion protocol after Tagovailoa’s swift return to action. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that he does not take players’ health conditions lightly and that the team will comply with any review or investigation and that he feels “fine” about the process.
“I think one of the things our players know better than anyone is that there are things I’m very sensitive to. I’ve been called emotional from time to time, and one of those things is the health of the players,” McDaniel said. “So I’m not going to mess around at all. … They went through the protocol and process during the game, and if anything, it’s a red flag of any kind that we’re not going in the direction we’re doing. , because that’s — you can’t keep a quarterback safe, so you don’t — if he’s got a head problem, he’s not coming back.”
Teddy Bridgewater replaced Tagovaloa for Thursday’s game; the Dolphins also got rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson active for the first time in his career.