Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I really feel terrible for Tua Tagovailoa.
In today’s SI:AM:
⛹️♀️ The Real Deal
🔮 UFC at the Sphere
🏈 The Pac-12’s comeback
Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills was a worst-case scenario for the Miami Dolphins. Not only did Miami get trounced by a division rival, 31–10, it lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a concussion—the third confirmed concussion he’s sustained in the past two years.
Tagovailoa was injured late in the third quarter while scrambling on a fourth down in the red zone. He lowered his head as Bills safety Damar Hamlin went in to make the tackle and the crown of his helmet collided with Hamlin’s chest. His right arm exhibited the fencing response, a common sign of a brain injury, and he laid on the ground dazed while teammates motioned for the training staff to tend to him.
The latest concussion comes two years after a series of concussions led Tagovailoa to consider retiring from football. Late in the first half of a Week 3 game against the Bills in 2022, Tagovailoa hit his head on the turf after a late hit from a Buffalo defender and left the game after appearing unsteady on his feet. The Dolphins initially announced that he was being evaluated for a head injury but the team later said it was a back injury and Tagovailoa returned to the field for the opening series of the second half. The NFL and NFLPA later conducted a joint investigation to see if the Dolphins had properly followed the league’s concussion protocol when allowing Tagovailoa to return to the field. The inquiry found that the team followed the protocol but that the incident showed flaws in how the protocol was drafted. The unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who cleared Tagovailoa to return was also fired.
