A lot has been said about the careless manner in which the NFL handled the well-being of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. . And retired cornerback Richard Sherman, as a member of the NFL Players Association executive committee, made sure that the issue of player health is something that no one should ever take lightly, especially in Tagovailoa's case.
Tagovailoa notably suffered a concussion during the Dolphins' Week 4 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, which came on the heels of his much-maligned return against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, when he returned to the game shortly after appearing dazed. The NFL and the NFLPA then conducted an investigation on whether the Concussion Protocol was upheld in Tagovailoa's incident.
But the two parties are yet to agree on a stance regarding the issue, per NBC Sports. According to Richard Sherman, Allen Sills, the NFL’s medical director, said that an “abundance of caution” was used by all the necessary parties in clearing Tua Tagovailoa to return, which then prompted the five-time Pro Bowler to sound off.
“If an abundance of caution is putting him back in the ballgame, what does an aggressive approach look like?” Sherman wondered with fervor.
Sherman seems to be validated in his concerns, especially when Tagovailoa was already suffering through back and ankle problems in the lead up to their clash against the Bengals. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel clarified that he and the organization would never put anyone in harm's way, but clearly, allowing Tagovailoa to suit up was not the shrewdest decision.
Thankfully, Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out of the Dolphins' Week 5 match against the New York Jets in advance as he continues to make his recovery from his concussion.
Hopefully this situation gets resolved soon, and that, at the end of the day, as Richard Sherman said, all parties would agree to put the health of professional athletes above the need for them to be cleared as quickly as possible just so they would win an extra football game or two.
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