There was a moment during today’s AFC East matchup in Miami where it didn’t look like the Dolphins would have quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the second half of the game due to a potential concussion. Tagovailoa underwent the required concussion protocol and returned for the second half to lead his team to a win over the division rival Bills. The NFL Players Association, though, is reportedly initiating an investigation into the handling of the concussion check, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 
Tagovailoa received a late hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano around the two-minute mark of the second quarter. When Tagovailoa had released the ball, he was pushed backwards by Milano and, upon landing on his back, Tagovailoa’s head snapped back against the turf. As he hurried back downfield to rejoin his offense, Tagovailoa appeared to slip or stumble, prompting the officials to remove him from the game to undergo the league-mandated concussion protocol. Tagovailoa came back out with the Dolphins offense for the second half and proceeded to lead his team to a victory.
Instigating an investigation insinuates that the NFLPA has some notion that the protocol for Tagovailoa’s safety was not completely aboveboard. Whether they believe the results were influenced to allow a potentially concussed player to return to play or whether they believe the results were ignored, the NFLPA clearly wants to make sure that Tagovailoa was not put in any danger by returning to the game.
Tagovailoa had a different story for his injury and stumble, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports, telling the media, “On the quarterback sneak, (I) kinda got my legs caught under someone and they were trying to push back. It felt like I hyperextended my back. On the next play, I hit my back and kinda hurt it. Then I got up and that’s kinda when I stumbled. For the most part, I’m good. Passed whatever concussion protocol they had.”
This would excuse the Dolphins in the eyes of the Players Association for the time being, if true. While it might be questionable to send your quarterback onto the field with back issues, there is no league mandate preventing it. After the game, Tagovailoa credited adrenaline with his ability to continue playing after sustaining the back injury but did admit that he felt “uncomfortable.”
Regardless of the results of the investigation, Miami may be without its young lefty for its next contest. If Tagovailoa finds it harder to perform without the rush of adrenaline, he will have only a short period of time to recover, as the Dolphins are set to play the Bengals on Thursday night this week.
Well color me shocked. He only started walking and then collapsed.
I mean back injuries can cause you to collapse like he did. Clearly he was fine since he came out and played well in the 2nd half
qbert because he came out in the second half does not mean he was fine. He was not stable when he stood up and walked them after a few steps fell down. I doubt he could have passed a true test. He might have passed a test lite but he was definitely dazed.
Already been reported he had a tweaked back which is what caused that fall. Pretty easy to pass the Scat5 test when you don’t have a concussion and aren’t dazed.
That was the most completely dazed, drunk stumble “back injury” I’ve ever seen.
I thought NLF medical staff were required there, not just team doctors. Am I wrong?
NFLPA just want an appearance of concern towards a player and are cherry-picking an obvious non-issue to demonstrate this.
Yeah, a person stumbling multiple times into the huddle is obviously a non-issue. He was clearly woozy, not just suffering a back injury, and there’s no way he cleared the protocol that quickly.
What are you talking about? You clearly didn’t watch the game. Went down with 2 minutes left in the 1st half and came back after halftime which is at least 12 minutes long. Plenty of time to pass the test
The SCAT5 test alone “cannot be performed correctly in less than 10 minutes” according to the NFLPA, then add in the other 5 steps. It’s not one test…and yes, I watched the game and saw how badly he was stumbling. I assume you’re a delusional Miami fan. FYI, I don’t have a team in the fight.
Nope not a Miami fan and you need to do more research. Tua clearly passed the Scat5 test which means he didn’t have a concussion and thus never entered concussion protocol. That means the 5 step process you mentioned is irrelevant to return to play. The Scat5 test can take between 10 and 20 minutes which is exactly the amount of time Tua was in the locker room.
Don’t gaslight him, super scout/doctor Sherminator.
Go back to a kid’s house and party Sherman. It’s already been posted on Phinsider he was cleared by a license physician to play second half. Back injuries… Look up the symptoms of back injuries on google.. Not doing it for you.
For once the Dolphins actually try to win and it still merits an investigation.
Wait, so a player the NFLPA represents tells his side of the story but the NFLPA doesn’t believe him?
Well, for one thing, a player might lie to either protect the team or to avoid casting doubt on his ability to take the field. For another thing, a guy who may have just suffered a concussion isn’t the guy whose word you want to take as the only source.
Fair points. Appreciate the insight.
Tua has a lot riding on this year. He’s missed a lot of time due to injuries. It makes sense to pretend it was his back that caused the stumbling. Every player knows they’re out of the game if it’s concussion related. I don’t know how anyone can watch the play he got his bell rung on and pretend it’s anything other than a concussion. I don’t know who ultimately made the call to let him back in, but there was clearly some negligence somewhere in that chain of command.
A mid back injury will not cause you to stumble or fall. Neck and low back will. I could tell you about me falling because of neck and back but it would take too long. I will say the nerves in the Thoracic part of the back mostly wrap around the rib cage. It also takes time for the nerves to be injured before you will fall. This was clearly no back injury.
It’s a violent sport and players on both sides of the ball are being concussed all the time. If that wasn’t the case CTE would not be an issue. Injuries are an occupational hazard players accept when they put on the uniform. Investigations wont accomplish anything.
The NFLPA still has egg on their face from last week’s handling of the Justin Herbert injury.
The NFLPA always has egg on their face. The most important thing to them is not the safety and well-being of the players, but doing whatever it takes to keep themselves in the spotlight.