It was a brilliant day for the Miami Dolphins as they beat Super Bowl favourites Buffalo Bills in week three, but it was a scary afternoon for Tua Tagovialoa.
The Dolphins quarterback was slammed by Bills linebacker Matt Milano and knocked to the floor, and was clearly in some discomfort as he struggled to get to his feet. But as he did, he stumbled and fell down once more, as he was experiencing major signs of a brutal concussion.
The game was tied at 14-14, although the Dolphins went on to win 21-19 as Tagovialoa thankfully returned. But American football analyst Bill Simmons though it looked as though he'd been 'knocked out by Mike Tyson ' as he was all over the place for a few moments.
"Tua looked like Trevor Berbick when Mike Tyson knocked him out in the mid-80s," Simmons said. "It was like, delayed, he was wobbling around.
"I thought 'that sucks cos he was playing really well. I thought he was really good in the first half. This sucks, this moment is ruined. Then all of a sudden there he is in the third quarter. I was surprised. What did they try and say it was? It aggravated a back injury? Oh, that's what happens when you slam your head against the turf?"
Tagovialoa rightfully had to take a moment to stabilise himself on the sidelines as Terry Bridgewater came on for a short period. But the 24-year-old was back in the mix shortly after, as Bridgewater failed to land either of his two passing attempts.
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Although the Dolphins quarterback was clearly disorientated from the hit, it was confirmed by both head coach Mike McDaniel and Tagovialoa himself that it was the back trouble that forced him off. "He kind of got bent back pretty severe on a quarterback sneak earlier," McDaniel said.
"When he hit his head on the ground, I assumed it was a head injury, but his legs got wobbly because his lower back was completely loose as he described it." And Tagovialoa backed this up, as he said: "Kind of got my legs caught under someone, they were trying to push back and it felt like I hyper-extended my back or something. It kind of hurt. I got up, and that's kind of why I stumbled. My back kind of locked up on me. But for the most part, I'm good. Passed whatever concussion protocol they had."
The NFL states that 'gross motor instability' means a player cannot return to the game if the 'team physician, in consultation with the sideline UNC (unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant), determines the instability to be neurologically caused'. However, doctors determined that not to be the case with Tagovailoa.
