Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was diagnosed with the third concussion of his NFL career after he collided with defensive back Damar Hamlin and slammed the back of his head into the turf during the Dolphins’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
Tagovailoa lay on the ground for about two minutes after the third quarter before getting up and walking to the sideline, then quickly heading for the tunnel, looking out at the stands, smiling and leaving for the locker room.
The Dolphins quickly announced that it was a concussion, and the team said Tagovailoa had suffered two concussions during the 2022 season and had also been diagnosed with a concussion while at the University of Alabama.
He signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension prior to this season that made him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL and made him the NFL’s leading pass thrower entering Week 1 of this season.
Tagovailoa was plagued by injuries during his college and first three seasons in the NFL, but he could be due for a big raise after playing injury-free in 2023 and leading the Dolphins to the playoffs after throwing for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
No one knows when or if he’ll be able to return this season.Tagovailoa was injured on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third period. He went straight toward Hamlin and didn’t slide, instead putting his right shoulder forward.
He collapsed on his back with his hands up, and Bills players pointed at Tagovailoa as if to suggest he was injured. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer soon did the same, waving toward the sideline.
Tagovailoa was lying on the ground and appeared to have his right hand clenched into a fist, consistent with a “fencing reaction” that is common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa finally got to his feet, and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel grabbed the quarterback by the side of his head and kissed him on the cheek as he was ejected. Skylar Thompson took Tagovailoa’s place in the game.
Hamlin is the player who suffered cardiac arrest after making a tackle during Monday night’s game in Cincinnati in January 2023, causing the NFL to suspend a crucial game that quickly lost its significance in the aftermath of the horrific scenes that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions, and how he has avoided them since, has been a big part of the story of his career and is now coming to the fore again.
He has suffered at least two concussions during the 2022 season, suffering the injury in Week 3 against Buffalo and clearing concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play and returned to the game.
The NFL has since changed its concussion procedures, requiring that if a player shows any symptoms that could be a concussion, such as a lack of balance or stability, he must sit out the remainder of the game.
Less than a week later, Tagovailoa took a gruesome hit during a Thursday night game at Cincinnati that left him concussed, briefly unconscious and carted off the field on a stretcher.
His second concussion of the season came against Green Bay in December and sidelined him for the remainder of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began researching ways to fall more safely and protect himself from further injury, which included studying jiu-jitsu.
Reynolds is a contributor to The Associated Press.
