Tua Tagovailoa: Miami Dolphins quarterback suffers concussion in loss to Bills

CNN
—

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during his team's 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, the Dolphins announced, adding to the head injury the player had previously expressed concern about due to his history of head injuries.

Tagovailoa left the game in the third quarter after he fought for a first down and was hit in the head by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The 26-year-old remained on the ground at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and was cared for by Dolphins trainers.

Tagovailoa eventually left the field under his own power and was replaced by backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. Tagovailoa was “ruled out due to a concussion,” the Dolphins said on social media.

Tagovailoa has suffered multiple concussions in the past and suffered several during the 2022 season. In April 2023, he said he had considered quitting football “for a while” after the concussion issues.

The fifth-year professional was in a “good mood” after the game, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters.

“I talked to him in the locker room,” McDaniel said. “Obviously I talked to him on the field and then in the locker room before he went home. He was in a good mood.”

McDaniel said his first thought when he saw Tagovailoa go down was “concern.”

“I was just worried about my friend, so yeah, that's not something you want to be involved in,” McDaniel said. “You don't want to do that.”

The third-year head coach said it was too early to decide whether to place Tagovailoa on the injured list – a move that would mean he would miss at least four games.

“It's more about getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow,” McDaniel said. “And taking it one day at a time. The last thing on my mind is the schedule. … We just have to evaluate and take care of my teammate, like the rest of the guys.”

When asked if it was still safe for Tagovailoa to play football given his history of concussions, McDaniel did not answer.

“From a medical standpoint, I don't go into things where I'm far inferior in expertise,” McDaniel said. “I'm just there to support my teammates, like I said. I think … it's not appropriate for me to predict things that I don't know in my non-specialized area.

“I think we'll get more information tomorrow about where Tua stands. … We'll have conversations and move forward accordingly.”

Tagovailoa walked around the locker room and “connected” with his teammates to “keep the guys’ heads up,” McDaniel said.

“Another example of his great character and leadership,” McDaniel added. “I think when something happens to an individual and you see his reaction – I mean, he cares about his teammates. That says everything about him as a person and he knows what he means to this team.”

Tagovailoa struggled before leaving Thursday's game, throwing three interceptions.

This story has been updated with additional information.