Quarterback for the Miami Dolphins Your Tagovailoa was ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills with a concussion after colliding with defenseman Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head on the turf.
Tagovailoa, who has a history of head injuries, remained down for about two minutes before getting up and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He soon walked to the tunnel, looked into the stands, appeared to smile and headed for the locker room.
The Dolphins took almost no time at all to announce that it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 seasonand Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion again while still playing at the University of Alabama.
Lynne Sladky / AP
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care more about the person than the player and everyone in the organization would say the same thing. I’m really praying for Tua and hopefully everything works out.”
Tagovailoa set himself up for a big pay raise with an injury-free and productive 2023, throwing for a league-best 29 touchdowns and 4,624 yards.
He signed a four-year, $212 million extension for this season and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 of the season. Tagovailoa left the game with the Dolphins down 31-10, which was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon after the game. “He’s a great football player, but he’s an even better person. He’s one of the best people on the planet. I got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything works out. But it’s tough, man. This football game we’re playing, it’s got its highs and its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa injured a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight toward Hamlin and did not slide, but instead led with his right shoulder.
He landed on his back, both hands in the air, and Bills players immediately pointed at Tagovailoa as if to suggest an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving toward the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to make a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground, a movement consistent with something known as the “fencing reaction,” which often occurs after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and kissed him on the cheek as Tagovailoa left.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 in Cincinnati that caused the NFL to suspend a crucial game, but that game quickly lost its significance after a terrifying scene played out in front of a national television audience.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of his. I can relate to him and sympathize with him because I’ve been there myself. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he’s worked to avoid them ever since — is a big part of the story of his career, and now it’s coming to the forefront again.
He suffered at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was injured in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and passed the concussion protocol, although he appeared disoriented on that play, but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol, stating that if a player exhibits possible symptoms of a concussion, including lack of balance or stability, he must sit out the remainder of the game.
Less than a week later, during a Thursday night game in Cincinnati, Tagovailoa suffered a concussion from a terrifying blow This left him briefly unconscious and he was carried off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion that season occurred in a December game against Green Bay. He will not play the remainder of the 2022 season.
Leading up to last season, Tagovailoa built up his muscles and spent time studying jiu-jitsu to learn how to fall more safely and protect himself from further injury.
