The NFL world was shocked yet again by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury in the previous game. In the match against the Green Bay Packers, the 24-year-old quarterback didn’t seem to be injured, but following the day, the Dolphins included him on their injury list.
Tua experienced the same fate in September and was eventually hospitalized. Furthermore, at 2:40 in the match, he was seen landing on his back with his head bouncing on the turf. After that, he struggled to play, and many ex-players quickly realized what had happened to the youngster.
Tua’s injury might be far-reaching and it may cause long-term brain issues therefore he needs to be monitored successfully.
if this play at 2:40 was Tua's concussion, here are his stats:
pre-concussion: 9/12, 229 yds, 19.1 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INT
post-concussion: 7/13, 81 yds, 6.2 YPA, 0 TD, 3 INTspic.twitter.com/0FvirTtxnR
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 26, 2022
What did former players have to say about the injury?
When the Dolphins announced Tua had suffered a concussion, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, another San Francisco 49ers quarterback expressed their deep concern for Tagovailoa, saying, “The final frontier of medical science is the brain. We as players do not understand or have any insight into how much risk is involved with our heads. We don’t know, and medical science can’t really tell us. In the end, we’re out there every day risking something we can’t assess.”
.@SteveYoungQB is looking for a change in culture around football with Tua Tagovailoa returning to the concussion protocol:
"It creates an environment where you're going to play hurt." pic.twitter.com/8KDVU4dSGO
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 26, 2022
He went on saying, “So Tua goes jumping back in there. I recognize how difficult this is for the NFL and how much is at stake. If we’re gonna be serious about it, we have to be able to test somebody pregame, and they’re out for the game.”
Young could find a reflection of his own head injury, which forced him to retire, just like others who share the same mentality. Robert Griffin, who also had to shorten his career due to injury, said, “When we talk about these head injuries, it’s nothing to play with, You’ve go to put the person ahead of the player. I’m more concerned about Tua and his longevity with life than I am about whether’s he’s gonna play on Sunday. He should not play for the rest of the season.”
Philadelphia Eagles’ Emmanual Acho also joined with Young and Griffin: “You’ve gotta shut Tua down for the season. Period. No conversation, no discussion, no second thoughts. You’ve got to shut him down for the season.”
I watched my draft-mate, Luke Kuechly, retire at age 28 after three concussions.
Tua Tagovailoa shouldn’t play again this year, there’s no exception. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/yXloYnlZRE
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 26, 2022
“It is better to be safe than to be sorry. The Dolphins have already been sorry once this year.” Acho warned.
The NFL must also be strict in terms of athlete health and safety. Back in September, when Tua Tagovailoa was cleared by the medical team with the head injury, the doctor was fired by the NFLPA.
NFL fans are becoming increasingly concerned in the aftermath of the latest injury. We at SportsZion are hoping for the star quarterback’s healthy return. Tua never ceases to entertain us and we want to see more of him in coming days.
