Tagovailoa’s Recent Scare

There is no question that NFL players are prone to suffering head injuries. Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, has now suffered two concussions during the 2022-23 NFL season, with his second being recently sustained on Christmas Day in a game against the Green Bay Packers. While this type of injury is not uncommon for athletes of this sport, it is the way that the NFL handled Tagovailoa’s health that is extremely controversial. 

Just over three months ago, on September 29th, Tua Tagovailoa suffered a scary head injury that resulted in a concussion in a Thursday Night Football primetime game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tua was sacked by Josh Tupou, and his head hit the ground hard. He was taken out of the game on a stretcher after visible concussion symptoms were noticed. This occurred just four days after his team faced the Buffalo Bills, and he was pulled after a hit to the head but ultimately returned to the game. 

That week alone showed that the NFL is capable of making very questionable decisions when it comes to injuries that cannot be easily seen. Many fans, reporters, coaches, and players were in outrage over the fact that Tua was cleared to play in the game after sustaining a hit from Matt Milano against Buffalo and then endured a worse hit four days later in Cincinnati.

Despite the worry over his health, Tagovailoa was cleared to play and did so without missing much time. Miami’s latest game against Green Bay created yet another cause for concern for the Dolphins’ quarterback. Kingsley Enagbare, Green Bay rookie linebacker, tackled Tua, which caused his neck and head to hit the ground violently during the second quarter. He continued to play the rest of the game without any medical attention. Miami coaches, players, and medical staff claimed that there were no visible signs of a concussion, so that is why he did not receive any attention after the hit. 

This reasoning stuck out on social media and went viral because oftentimes, symptoms of a concussion are not apparent. It seemed odd to many fans that someone who has proven to be more prone to potential head trauma, like Tua, did not obtain any sort of help or attention after the hit and remained in the game. 

Tagovailoa will be spending the foreseeable future in concussion protocol due to the fact that he started showing symptoms on Monday, December 26th. He has since been officially diagnosed with a concussion as well.​​ Despite the Miami quarterback not physically showing any signs of head trauma directly after the hit in Green Bay, many believe that the situation was handled very poorly at the moment due to his medical history. 

Tua Tagovailoa has suffered enough in this NFL season that there is a lot of concern for his health beyond just this year. Head injuries deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and care, the same as physical injuries, which the NFL has proven time and time again that it does not. For the time being, however, the Dolphins need to focus on his healing from several hits to the head and, most importantly, not rush the recovery process.