9:50pm: There were a number of updates throughout the first full day following the second in-game injury to Tagovailoa. Just after noon today, McDaniel informed the media that Tagovailoa was experiencing a headache and, as an extra precaution, was taken to undergo another MRI, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson updated his followers following the testing that revealed “nothing serious/alarming.” He went on the clarify that while every head injury is a serious concern, there was “nothing discovered in testing that would create new concerns about whether he should resume playing football,” noting that, right now, the only barrier to Tagovailoa’s return to the field is the NFL’s five-step concussion protocol.
Retired center and second-term NFLPA President J.C. Tretter released a statement on Twitter around midday today. He explained that the Players Association initiated their investigation because Tagovailoa was permitted to return despite displaying what Tretter called “‘no-go’ symptoms.” He went on to say that, while there admittedly is not “an objective and validated method” for diagnosing brain injuries, the league should err on the side of caution and player safety and work towards eliminating the potential for human error.
The chief medical officer of the NFL, Dr. Allen Sills, laid out what he knew of Tagovailoa’s treatment before the Thursday night game, according to Tom Pelissero and Judy Battista of NFL Network. He explained that Tagovailoa “was checked for concussion symptoms every day” from Sunday until the game on Thursday and that an “independent neuro expert had to clear him.” The NFLPA will verify this information and use it to inform their determinations. Pelissero added that once the review has concluded, “the results will be released publicly.”
8:58am: Tua Tagovailoa was at the heart of controversy and speculation heading into last night’s game, and his health status remains a major talking point today. The Dolphins QB was sacked, then suffered a head injury which left him on the ground for several minutes. He was ultimately stretchered off the field and taken to a local hospital, where he was alert and had full movement in his extremities. 
The episode would have been noteworthy in its own regard, but was doubly so given the hit Tagovailoa sustained on Sunday which caused him to stumble and briefly leave the game. The team’s handling of his situation has since become the subject of an NFLPA investigation, which is ongoing. While it appears at this point that the Dolphins correctly followed concussion protocol in that instance, the fact that the 24-year-old suffered a major injury after playing on a short week has drawn the ire of the player’s union.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith texted a message to current and former association members, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, which reads, “We insisted on these rules to avoid exactly this scenario. We will pursue every legal option, including making referrals against the doctors to licensing agencies and the team that is obligated to keep our players safe.”
When asked about the potential connection between the two injuries and the team’s decision to play Tagovailoa in spite of the quick turnaround, head coach Mike McDaniel reiterated his confidence in the Alabama product’s recovery from Sunday’s game and the team’s compliance with concussion-related procedures. He said, via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon, “I don’t think that an injury from last week made him fall the same way this week, but yeah, I do not have any, like absolutely zero patience for, or will ever put a player in position for them to be in harm’s way.
“There’s an independent specialist that specializes in specialty brain matter, so for me, as long as I’m coaching here, I’m not going to fudge that whole situation… People don’t vary or stray [from protocol]; we don’t mess with that, we never have as long as I’ve been head coach, so it’d never be an issue that you guys have to worry about.”
Tagovailoa travelled back to Miami with the team while wearing a neck brace, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports (Twitter link). She adds that initial scans showed nothing broken in his neck or spine, and that he will undergo an MRI after arrival. While his short-and long-term recovery timetable will be worth monitoring, this situation will also be underscored by other storylines for the foreseeable future.
What can cause his hands to be all distorted and frozen like they were?
Not a doctor, but have some medic training from military, that could be due to nerve damage… basically the brain wasn’t getting signal to move them… he could have injured his spine too and that might have caused it
Thank you for your service
Google fencing response.
A concussion. Saw it happen to my brother snowboarding once.
Wrong
The hands freezing typically indicates that for at least a split second, he lost consciousness. Not a 100% thing, but that’s the most likely explanation.
Med staff including independent doctors need to get the boot, mcdaniel needs a yearlong suspension
Why? Per McDaniel and the team he passed the concussion protocol last week and was capable of plying this week. Now, if it’s found that the medical staff or McDaniel lied, or didn’t actually put him through the protocols then and only then would I agree. I’m not a dolphin fan, and every athlete that takes the field knows the risk. They CHOOSE to take that risk for the game and fortune that the game brings. They ALL can live the very mundane normal incomes that 99% of us live and CHOOSE otherwise.
Shouldn’t have let him play these protocols are in place for a reason and barring an actual investigation which in order to hold the fins accountable would involve some self tattling I think the results speak for themselves.
What results? So what happened on Sunday caused the Cincy defender to whip him around like a rag doll? I don’t see how the two connect, unless of course there is a narrative you’re trying to fit.
Athletes will make all sorts of unsafe choices in the name of competition or career. That’s why they don’t have final say.
Massively stupid over reaction. In time you may be proven correct but for now, you don’t know anymore than any other average reader on this website. Which is to say, he was cleared to play and then got hurt.
You’re a massively stupid person. This guy has a brain bruise, he didn’t injure his back last week, he was clearly concussed. Have you ever played anything above pop Warner? Dude was concussed vs the bills he couldn’t even walk back to the line. As far as ‘he was cleared to play’ we all know what that means, you have some growing up to do mister
Calling another person stupid for a comment? Come on. Sounds like you were there and know exactly what happened. We’ll just trust your expertise.
Turnabout is fair game
Wrong
Again, you’re showing why your reaction was stupid. Clearly, you aren’t a doctor but here you are lying about what you “think” you know.
Reffing HS FB as long as I have I have seen too many injuries I wish I hadn’t seen or heard. I have never seen a player that was not concussed do the straight arms locked fingers thing. Of course I have seen some that did not do it.
I would not make this the end all for a concussion but is pretty likely. The dangers of getting concussed this close together is very real.
Someone said in a post the 15 mins they had to test him was too short a time to do one of the tests. I would think it would be give them 3 words to remember and then ask later. They would have a set time for this and other tests would be done between it. I have done this a few times and it has never been less than 15 mins.
Tua will not admit to it while he is playing but after his career is over might. With the injuries and all losing a starting job when he gets to the point he is a starter he will do anything to keep it.
What I saw on Sunday was more than a hurt back. I posted about my back problems earlier. I do not remember a time when falling because of my back was a face plant. My leg or legs would go numb and I would crumple. All the reading and talking to my surgeon it seems to be consistent nerve damage in back crumple lose consciousness then wake up fall forward. Like passing out is forward. The injured back has the smell of horse pucky.
The fact that they’re not only making the argument that he was not concussed last week but that he was also not concussed on Thursday night means they’re arguing in bad faith. For what reason I can’t tell, it’s a freaking concussion, it’s a very very serious thing and this guy had two bad ones in less than a week. They don’t understand how bad that is can’t tell if it’s because they’re children or arguing in bad faith.
You’ve shown your true colors.
What a moron for a head coach and idiot for an owner. Concussion against the bills then they have him play against the Bengals 4 days later.
It’s been clearly stated that he passed the concussion protocol last week. Ignorant comment. Unless someone or everyone is lying. Now, if we want to critique the NFL concussion protocols, we can start there.
The same team that lied about tampering and paying to tank, despite there being evidence on paper to the contrary? Yeah surely a good source.
The NFLPA should read the coach’s comments so they can just drop their silly inquiry. No need to worry about his players. Prayers for Tua and a full recovery.
Exactly mdog.
This is all “a tempest in a teapot”.
I love all this moral outrage along with not knowing any of the facts.
Do you expect anyone to believe what Miami “leaders” have to say after the past year? The team’s becoming the laughingstock of the league, which is something considering the Brown’s decisions lately…
They are a combined 5-2
The part about the coach was actually sarcasm.
while I certainly think the dolphins messed this situation up, The NFLPA is also at blame here and need to come off their high horse.
If you are solely relying on teams to “keep our players safe” from concussion like injuries you are doing a disservice to your players as well. Stronger education to players and stronger messaging that it is ok to say you don’t feel right needs to occur. I get these are pro athletes and many will still “push through”, but to simply throw your hands up like it’s the team and leagues job is ridiculous. If they educate players more on the return to sport protocols for concussions, you might have players who realize themselves they are not ready, rather than simply rely on a doctor hired by the team.
As Mitchell Schwartz said on Twitter, dragging the players association: “We’ll fight like hell to keep QBs who sexually assault women from getting suspended for too long but when one of the good guys has concussive symptoms, returns to the game, doesn’t enter concussion protocol, and is allowed to play 4 days later, ‘our investigation is ongoing.’”
He didn’t have a concussion last week. Stop spreading this misinformation.
what are you talking about? he stumbled at the line dude looked like he was going to pass out. That was no back injury.
Yep. The world is flat, too. It’s obvious since it’s right in front of our eyes. We should always rely on speculation.
The league and players union have a independent neurologist who is on the sidelines. He determines whether a player is considered symptomatic.
Back injuries cause people to stumble. Especially of its a herniated disk or pinched nerve issue. If where it happened blocked signal it can cause weakness resulting in stumbling.
At the very least ppl should google stuff before responding. A simple “can back injuries cause stumbling” would at least educate you a little bit.
Even the most basic of common sense should tell you that if you mess up your back it does affect ppls ability to walk and stand up.
Do back injuries cause people to shake their heads like their bell has been rung?
I’ve had herniated disks that caused me to shuffle around like an old man and even sweat profusely from the pain. It didn’t cause me to wobble like a drunken sailor.
I’m not swearing that they’re lying but NFL players and former players are calling BS. Usually when it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. JMHO.
I’ve had pinched nerves that have made me feel woozy and dizzy. So yes. Back injuries can cause a disoriented foggy feeling if it occurs in the right place and definitely affect someones balance, equilibrium, etc etc.
People don’t really seem to understand that theres a lot more than just muscles in your back. It has 31 pairs of nerves and 2 major veins associated with the spine.
And how do you know he didn’t have a concussion last week Lars?
Because he passed the independent neurologist exam and wasn’t in the concussion protocol after the game. Also, McDaniels gave detailed information on what happened during and after the game. If he was lying about anything, it would be easy to find out, so he was clearly telling the truth.
What in the world does Deshaun Watson have to do with this? That comparison is a shoe-horned, meaningless word salad. Of course the investigation is ongoing, the hit literally happened hours ago.
The man was not concussed last week friend. He was checked by a independent neurologist and cleared to go back in the game.
Miami fans are delusional. You don’t stumble and hold your head with a back injury. Not once did he reach to his back or anywhere else while he tried to recover his senses.
Eagle fan on our way to the super bowl so not delusional here my friend. Tua was not concussed.
All the people below saying he didn’t suffer a concussion, let’s have you all line up to “not get concussed” like that and then tell us how you all feel.
The doctor on the field isn’t there to say whether or not a player suffered a concussion. It is to determine the severity of the issue at hand and if they THINK that player can go back on the field. If you think the doctor doesn’t think it is in his best interest to get the star starting QB back onto the field, or any other star player for that matter, back onto the field, then you’ve got another thing coming. You don’t know how the real world works.
Walk away from the game while you still can and still have some of your brain intact.
The silly thing is people are still mad at Andrew Luck for doing that. All of us need to remember that it’s ok to not be ok. Sure things like Swift being shut down to heal suck for the Lions, DFS, your fantasy team, etc., but the culture is still heavily stacked against these players making tough decisions like when to sit.
People that are angry at Andrew Luck are stupid.
This will continue to happen until the NFL switches to flag football rules. These roided up drug fueled monsters are simply too strong, fast and large to hit each other without significant injury.
They can all win Darwin awards for all I care. The problem will then solve itself.
Wonder what he’s going to think when he sees the replay of him on the ground and his fingers curled up. Will that be his epiphany…life decisions.
if its anything like the concussions i have suffered he isn’t going to remember most of the next couple of days anyways
Yeah, so true. Down the road he’ll need to make a tough decision if that video doesn’t impact his decision enough.
Listening to the coach live and beginning to think he has a head injury as well.
“There’s an independent specialist that specializes in specialty brain matter”
Yeah, but how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Did Kamala Harris make another speech?
Sometimes you don’t need protocols.
Sometimes you see something happen to someone and despite what anyone says, including that someone, you still have the option of erring on the side of caution.
I have no clue what happened in the locker last week but I did watch the game and saw Tua’s behavior when he got up.
At some point “3-0” took precedence over anything else.
Of course I said “why is he back in the game?”, but the “heart of a champion” praise typically wins any debate
I just sincerely hope Tua the person will fully recover
Herschel Walker is concussed, does tua sound anything like herschel?
What message does this send to other players on this team? Sacrificing player health and safety for an unimportant September game puts the coaches and medical staff in a bad light.
Dear goodness the dude was cleared by everyone. When will you all be satisfied and stop trying to be internet doctors?
I am not an internet Dr but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once.
^express
I was too lazy to write express because I was trying to do it fast.
This crappy thing that says there was an error and won’t let you post unless you do it 2-3 times. Then it is a 50/50 if it posts.
That one worked right.
When you stop trying to be the thought police.
You’re perfectly allowed to make yourself look like a fool and I’m perfectly allowed to be annoyed by it.
Brownsbacker has been making himself look like a fool for awhile. Different username. Same dumb comments
You are a prime example of being allowed to make yourself look like a fool. At least you are getting annoyed by yourself. Now you should do something about it. You can change and be the person you’ve always wanted to be. Through God, all things are possible.
There is a certain mindset where people ignore the absolute obvious out of some obtuse duty to having a conviction level of proof stuck in front of their nose.
If you watched the video of Tua being concussed last week but refuse to acknowledge that he was concussed last week because you haven’t seen an MRI and a sworn affidavit from 3 doctors all while the team sends out a “Tua got concussed : ( ” tweet from the team’s official media account, so be it.
The rest of us are free to not embrace willful toadying ignorance as a life strategy.
“The team said he was fine, why would they lie, right?”
Sounds like they’re pushing him back out there again. Wow, just sickening.
They don’t care how messed up he will be at age 40 when he has mental issues and can’t take care of himself. But, sure: how soon can he be back out on the field for your Miami Dolphins?
After watching tua involuntarily reaching for his shattered skull with twisted fingers, I would say the nfl has real problem with their protocol, protocol.
I am going to go on record to say that I beleive Taglovia had a concussion Sunday
CBS and ESPN reporting the NFLPA has sacked the neurologist who sent Tua back into the game on Sunday. Tua is in concussion protocol with no timetable for return.
The term “independent” is a joke. These people know they’ll get canned if they go against the team’s wishes. They may feel that job security (the prestige of the title and perks at the games) requires a bit of compromise.
I’m not sure if we should be surprised that the NFL’s elaborate protocols sometimes fail. Back in the day they would simply hold a few fingers in front of the player and ask how many. The modern version of that would be to ask the player if he feels he’s being paid enough. If he answers “yes” then he’s obviously been concussed.