Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was taken to hospital with feared head and neck injuries amid worrying scenes in the NFL.
The 24-year-old was down for 10 minutes and stretchered off the field in the second quarter of Thursday night’s 27-15 defeat by the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium after being spun around and slammed into the ground during a sack by defensive lineman Josh Tupou, with his head crashing into the turf.
Tagovailoa was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, with the Dolphins later confirming that he was conscious and had movement in all his extremities as well wishes were shared from across the NFL world.
Thankfully, the former Alabama signal-caller was later discharged after further assessment and expected to fly back to Miami with his team-mates overnight.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed in his post-game press conference that Tagovailoa had sustained a concussion and had entered the necessary league protocol.
“That was an emotional moment, that is not part of the deal that anyone signs up for, even though you know it’s a possibility in football to have something that you have to get taken off on a stretcher,” McDaniel said.
“All of his team-mates and myself, we were all very concerned, so the best news that we could get is that everything’s checked out, that he didn’t have anything more serious than a concussion, and will be flying back with us here on the plane.”
Teddy Bridgewater, who replaced Tagovailoa at QB for the remainder of the game, told reporters: “Complete silence. He’s one of us. At the end of the day, it’s only a football game. In that moment, you saw how we feel about Tua. He’s our captain. He’s our leader. It was great to see the doctors handling the situation.”
Tagovailoa was initially deemed questionable for Thursday Night Football in Ohio due to back and ankle injuries, having been hurt during a hit from Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano during Sunday’s headline 21-19 victory over AFC East rivals and Super Bowl favourites, the Bills.
He was seen stumbling after that hit and left the game with what was initially announced by the Dolphins as a head injury, though he returned after half-time and was later said to be suffering from a back issue that was made worse by that aforementioned tackle, with Tagovailoa saying after the game that his back had “locked up”, causing him to stumble.
The NFL confirmed earlier this week that a review was ongoing to see if the league’s concussion protocol was properly followed, initiated by the NFL Players Association.
