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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off of the field in Thursday night’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. After being sent to the hospital for head and neck injuries, he was released and traveled with the team to Miami. Friday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked about the playing status of Tagovailoa.
Mike McDaniel when asked about the possibility about putting Tua on IR: "I'm not even thinking about timetables as a player. It's about Tua as a person. We're just worried about him getting healthy and getting all of the testing done. We'll cross the bridge on timetables."
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 30, 2022
“I’m not even thinking about timetables as a player. It’s about Tua as a person. We’re just worried about him getting healthy and getting all of the testing done. We’ll cross the bridge on timetables.” McDaniel took it one step further on his feelings about Tagovailoa. “When it comes to head injuries and concussions, things that severe, the only thing I’m worried about is the person first.”
That is certainly the correct answer from the Dolphins coach. Now is not a time to think about or talk about Tagovailoa’s timetable to return.
Tagovailoa was released from the hospital in Cincinnati late Thursday night. He flew home to Miami with the team and even watched a movie on his phone with McDaniel. That is certainly a positive development. But this story is not going to go away. The NFLPA is undergoing an investigation to determine if the Dolphins were in error in letting Tagovailoa even return to last week’s game.
On Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa crumpled to the ground following a hit. It appeared to be a head injury but team doctors and independent neurologists cleared him of a concussion. However, the “No-Go” clause within the NFL concussion protocols point to Tagovailoa should not have been allowed back into that game.