Tua Tagovailoa Has Another Concussion, the NFL Blew It Again
The Miami Dolphins lost to the Green Bay Packers 26-20 on Christmas Day in a devastating defeat for the team's playoff chances. Worse than that, they may have lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for an extended period of time. It appears the NFL missed yet another concussion the quarterback suffered during Sunday's game.
Tagovailoa was terrible in the second half against the Packers and threw three horrible interceptions in the fourth quarter. We may now know why he was so off.
Late in the first half, Tua was pulled down from behind by Packers rookie linebacker Kinsley Enagbare. As he was yanked down, the back of Tagovailoa's head slammed into the turf. Apparently no one noticed. Not his teammates, coaches or the concussion spotters.
Check this out:
Saw this live. And I recorded it because I knew as soon as I saw it. This happened late in the 1st half. And I believe Tua played 2nd half with a concussion. His head bounced off the ground. And it was very similar to the hit in Cincinnati. 3 INTs in the 4th qtr. proved it to me. pic.twitter.com/Djl0xkGToX
— Michael Williams (@SelfMade0602) December 25, 2022
That came with more than 2:30 remaining in the first half and Tagovailoa played the rest of the game after what was clearly a concussion-causing hit. Sure enough, on Monday the Dolphins announced their quarterback had entered concussion protocol.
#Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is once again in the NFL’s concussion protocol. His status for this week’s game against the #Patriots is now in doubt. pic.twitter.com/Y69BnujxZN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2022
This is Tagovailoa's third concussion of the year. The first came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 and went undiagnosed. The fact that he wasn't removed from that game caused a massive scandal. It looks like history repeated itself.
The NFL has to find a way to improve this process. The league's safety measures have failed Tagovailoa this season.