Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa underwent an MRI on Friday after sustaining head and neck injuries during Miami’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, Miami coach Mike McDaniel said.
“We’ll find the results on that,” he said. “That was just an extra kind of precaution on top of the CT scans and X-rays that were taken last night.”
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McDaniel said that Tagovailoa is now in concussion protocol and that there is no timetable for his return.
McDaniel went on to say that Tagovailoa “was bringing up to me, ‘Man, I just hope I don’t miss X, Y or Z game.’ I was like, ‘Tua, let’s stop this right now. Don’t even think about a game. Let’s just think about doing everything the right way, to listen, to get the opinions that you need. Let’s worry about you and your head and being a healthy human being through it and then we’ll worry about playing football later.'”
Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher after being slammed hard to the turf by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou in the second quarter.
The quarterback was spun around while being sacked, before hitting the back of his head on the turf. He appeared to be in visible pain and was tended to by trainers and medical staff before being loaded onto a stretcher.
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The 24-year-old was later ruled out of the game. Shortly after Tagovailoa exited the field, the Dolphins said he was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. The team also noted that he was conscious and had movement in all his extremities Thursday night. After the game, Miami announced Tagovailoa was expected to be discharged and would travel back to Miami with the team.
McDaniel said Tagovailoa admitted he had a headache on the plane ride back from Cincinnati but was otherwise in good spirits.
“I think he was just happy to be with his teammates,” McDaniel said. “All of his teammates were so elated. I mean this was a scary, scary situation for all of us. I’m sure you could tell by his teammates’ body language and everyone that was on the field. It was something that did not just go away once the game restarted.
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“All of his teammates were absolutely elated to see him on the plane. He was elated. It brought him some joy, which was good to see.”
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The NFL launched an investigation of the Dolphins’ handling of Tagovailoa in Week 3 after that evaluation. Tagovailoa was allowed to continue playing after appearing to suffer a head injury.
NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said Wednesday that the league determined the quarterback underwent proper concussion protocol. However, the NFLPA’s investigation remains ongoing, and Thursday night’s injury certainly adds a new wrinkle.
“Player health and safety is at the core of the union’s mission,” the NFLPA said in a statement Thursday night. “Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing.”
Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. tweeted Friday that he’d sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross “demanding answers about the concussion to (Tagovailoa) days after he had another injury.”
Today I’ve written to NFL commish Roger Goodell and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross demanding answers about the concussion to @Tua days after he had another injury. As head of Congress’s Brain Injury Task Force I want to know how the hell he was on the field last night. pic.twitter.com/cMzSAOtzFH
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BillPascrell) September 30, 2022
Tagovailoa helped guide the Dolphins to a 3-0 start this season. He ranked second in the league in passer rating (117.8) with 925 passing yards, eight touchdown passes, two interceptions and a 71.3 completion percentage before Thursday night’s game. The Dolphins went on to lose to Cincinnati 27-15.
Read more: Tagvailoa tweeted a statement Friday thanking the Dolphins, his family and friends for the support.
(Photo: Kareem Elgazzar / USA Today)
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