Tua Tagovailoa is present dealing with the 3rd diagnosed concussion of his NFL career, each of them coming successful the past 2 seasons.
And determination are present questions astir his aboriginal - some short-term and long-term.
The Miami Dolphins backmost was wounded successful his team's 31-10 nonaccomplishment to the Buffalo Bills connected Thursday night, sustaining the wounded connected a play wherever helium collided into Bills antiaircraft backmost Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa, who was rushing successfully for a archetypal down, initiated the interaction by lowering his enarthrosis into Hamlin alternatively of sliding arsenic galore quarterbacks bash connected a scramble.
Players from some teams instantly began gesturing that Tagovailoa needed aesculapian attraction arsenic helium laic connected the turf and exhibited immoderate signs typically associated with a traumatic encephalon injury. He remained down connected the tract for a mates of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline aft the play successful the 3rd quarter.
He made his mode to the passageway not agelong afterward, looking into the stands earlier smiling and departing toward the locker room. The Dolphins needed lone a fewer minutes to denote that helium would not instrumentality to the game.
What bash we cognize astir Tagovailoa's concussion?
All anyone truly could accidental with certainty precocious Thursday and aboriginal Friday was that helium was concussed. The process of the Dolphins evaluating his information was opening successful earnest connected Friday and determination is nary timetable for however agelong that volition take.
He has been placed into the NFL's concussion protocol and volition person to successfully implicit a bid of tests and assessments earlier helium oregon the Dolphins tin adjacent deliberation of him returning to the field.
"Each subordinate and each concussion is unique," the NFL says successful the instauration to the protocol rules. "Therefore, determination is nary acceptable timeframe for instrumentality to information oregon for the progression done the steps of the graduated exertion programme acceptable distant below. Recovery clip volition alteration from subordinate to player."
What is Tagovailoa's wounded history?
He was diagnosed with 2 concussions successful 2022, arsenic good arsenic 1 erstwhile helium played astatine Alabama.
There person been galore different issues, including immoderate successful assemblage that were serious. At Alabama, helium had a process for a precocious ankle sprain successful October 2019, which caused him to miss 1 game. A period later, Tagovailoa dislocated his close hep against Mississippi State, which prematurely ended his assemblage career.
In his pro career, Tagovailoa has dealt with rib fractures, a thumb wounded and a fractured mediate digit connected his throwing hand, on with the concussions.
In April 2023, helium revealed that helium discussed with his household whether it was omniscient to proceed playing aft the 2 concussions successful the 2022 season.
What are players saying astir Tagovailoa?
There are a premix of reactions, arsenic would beryllium expected, though galore erstwhile players who person since go analysts are suggesting that helium instrumentality a hard look astatine his semipermanent wellness and inquire if it's omniscient to proceed playing football.
Former linebacker Manti Te'o, who has known Tagovailoa for years and calls him his "little brother," said helium hoped to spot him permission the crippled aft the concussion astatine Cincinnati successful 2022. He said he's reasoning of his parents, what they had to person gone done connected Thursday night, arsenic good arsenic Tagovailoa's semipermanent quality to genitor his ain children.
"After helium suffered the 1 against the Bengals, I wanted him to walk," Te'o said connected NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" connected Friday, appearing to choke backmost tears aft helium said that. "What radical person to recognize is this is conscionable a game. And past there's life."
Added erstwhile NFL backmost Robert Griffin III, connected societal media: "Think of the idiosyncratic not conscionable the player," a sentiment shared by countless others.
And erstwhile receiver Dez Bryant was adjacent much direct, saying it's clip for the league to intervene. "That's it.... NFL spell up and bash the close thing," Bryant posted. "Tua has had wholly mode excessively galore concussions ... He request to discontinue for his longevity wellness concerns."
Have players retired due to the fact that of concussions?
It has happened connected a fistful of known occasions, with players astatine varying stages of their vocation erstwhile they made the determination to locomotion away.
- Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is possibly the astir salient example. He was 28 erstwhile helium retired astatine the highest of his game, a perennial All-Pro but 1 who had 3 concussions successful the span of 3 seasons. Among those concussions: 1 successful a crippled successful 2016 erstwhile helium cried connected the field. He has since been an advocator for consciousness and safety.
- Frank Wycheck, the Tennessee Titans prima who famously threw the lateral successful the "Music City Miracle" play, near the crippled aft 11 seasons citing the "lingering effects" of the "physical stuff," including 2 concussions successful the 2003 season. He retired aft that season, said successful a tv interrogation successful 2017 that helium was definite helium had CTE, and died past December aft a autumn astatine his home.
- Jordan Reed was 30 erstwhile helium retired successful 2021 aft 7 seasons arsenic a choky extremity for Washington and San Francisco, citing concussions. He said doctors advised him continuing to play would not beryllium wise.
- Kylie Fitts was 27 erstwhile helium retired successful 2022. The erstwhile Arizona linebacker said astatine the clip "due to excessively galore concussions ... it is nary longer harmless for maine to proceed to play."
- Chris Borland was lone 24 erstwhile helium retired aft conscionable 1 play successful the NFL, citing concerns astir caput trauma.
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