close
close

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion in collision with Bills player Damar Hamlin

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.

While battling for a first down in the red zone with 4:24 left in the quarter, Tagovailoa collided with Bills safety Damar Hamlin and then slumped to the ground. His upper body appeared to stiffen as he stretched his arms first to his side and then to his helmet. The 26-year-old was immediately attended to by teammates, who signaled team medical personnel to come out quickly.

Six minutes later, the Dolphins confirmed that he had suffered a concussion and could not participate in the game.

“You can't help but feel sorry for him. He's a great football player, but he's an even better person,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said after Thursday's game, which Buffalo won 31-10. “This game of football that we play has its ups and its downs, and that was one of the lows.”

Dolphins backup quarterback Skylar Thompson, who came in to replace Tagovailoa, said the injury “sucks.”

“It makes me sick,” he said, later adding, “You care more about the person than the player, and everyone in our organization would say the same thing.”

From here, Tagovailoa will be placed into the league's concussion protocol, where he will go through a five-phase return-to-play program. The first phase includes mandatory rest and limited activities. The fifth phase, which is full clearance to return to football activities, occurs only after a player is cleared by a team physician and evaluated by an independent neurological consultant assigned to his franchise.

Thursday's injury came two seasons after Tagovailoa missed a long stretch of 2022 with multiple head injuries. The first of those appeared to occur in Week 3 against the Bills, and Tagovailoa was allowed to return later in the game. Days later, he was cleared to play against the Cincinnati Bengals and was carried off the field on a stretcher after displaying a fencing reaction following a sack.

A fencing reaction is an immediate posture of the limbs that can occur in people who have experienced a traumatic brain injury, according to the National Institute of Health.

Tagovailoa's procedure in the concussion protocol in 2022 led to the NFL players' union firing its independent neurotrauma consultant and the league later revising its policy. Later in the 2022 season, Tagovailoa was again placed in the concussion protocol after showing symptoms of a concussion in a game against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. Before Week 17, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that Tagovailoa had suffered another concussion and was ruled out.

Entering 2023, Tagovailoa told reporters he had considered retiring due to the concussions. But after spending the offseason reshaping his body and training with specialists to learn how to fall properly, he returned for his best professional season. Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and threw a career-high 29 touchdowns.

In response to Thursday's concussion, numerous former players called for Tagovailoa's resignation on social media.

Before his retirement, Tagovailoa threw for 145 yards on 17 of 25 passes with one touchdown and three interceptions.

(Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

You may also like...