Discussion about the long-term future of Tua Tagovailoa has broken out once again this week after the Dolphins quarterback entered the league’s concussion protocol for the second time this season. On Wednesday, coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that Tagovailoa has a concussion and will likely miss this Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
Tagovailoa, 24, has been a topic of conversation throughout the football world this season as he’s sustained multiple head injuries in just the last few months. The latest news has prompted some pundits to call for the Dolphins to shut down the third-year quarterback for the year, or perhaps even longer.
Though Miami has officially designated the 2020 No. 5 pick as “day-to-day,” even Tagovailoa’s brother is unsure exactly when he’ll return to the field.
“Everyone has their opinion,” Taulia Tagovailoa said Thursday, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. “My brother, I know he works hard. I know he has a family now. I want my brother to be safe, but at the same time I know that he has a love and a passion for football. I feel like he is going to make the right decision. The biggest thing is staying safe, so that is something he has to pray on. I know when it comes down to it, he will make the right decision.”
Taulia, the quarterback at Maryland, did clarify that he believes his brother will play again at some point.
“I just feel like he’s not going to stop playing football,” Taulia Tagovailoa said. “I feel like every opportunity he has, he is going to try to play. I don’t know, it’s just ‘go until the wheels fall off.’”
Tua Tagovailoa suffered his second known concussion on Christmas Day in a home loss to the Packers. It remains unclear exactly when the injury occurred as Tagovailoa played the entire game before he self-reported symptoms on Monday to the team.
Back in late September, Tagovailoa was assessed for a head injury for the first time this season during a Week 3 game against the Bills. After his head hit the turf on a sack, an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant cleared him to return to the game.
The Dolphins won the game against Buffalo and Tagovailoa started the following Thursday against the Bengals in Week 4. He was knocked unconscious after hitting the back of his head on the ground during that contest and was briefly hospitalized.
The incident triggered a joint NFL and players association investigation, which led to the league changing its concussion protocol to mandate that any player who shows possible concussion symptoms—including a lack of balance or stability—sit out the remainder of a game. The consultant who evaluated Tagovailoa during the Bills game was also fired.
With the news of the latest concussion, the NFLPA is once again investigating the handling of the injury, according to ESPN.
