Tua Tagovailoa would have been sidelined if new NFL concussion policy was in place
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would have been ruled out of the Sept. 25 game against the Bills if a new policy announced by the NFL and NFLPA on Saturday had been in place.
In that game, Tagovailoa hit his head, stumbled and reached for his head late in the second quarter.
According to adjusted language in protocols, a player will be deemed a "no-go" if he displays an abnormality of balance or stability, or motor coordination. A player would also be sidelined if he were to exhibit dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.
In that game against the Bills, Tagovailoa was allowed to return for the second half after team and independent doctors determined his gross motor instability was likely caused by a back injury, not a concussion.
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Tua was cleared to play that day and led Miami to a victory. In its joint investigation, the NFL and NFLPA determined protocols were followed but that they needed to be changed.
Basically, more players are going to be ruled out after hitting their heads, as the league leans even more toward an abundance of caution.
Dr. Allen Sills of the NFL said there are going to be times when a player is ruled out when it turns out that the cause of the instability was not actually a concussion. They believe the benefit outweighs any downside.
In the case of Tagovailoa, Sills clarified that Tagovailoa now would have been determined to qualify for sidelining. And based on the evident symptoms, he would also have been determined to have had a concussion.
This means that Tagovailoa would have entered the NFL's strict concussion protocols. Any NFL player would have a difficult time, Sills said, clearing the protocols to return to play in a four-day period.
Tagovailoa did play four days later, against the Bengals on "Thursday Night Football." In that game, Tagovailoa sustained an undisputed concussion in the second quarter, left the field on a stretcher and was taken to a Cincinnati hospital.
Tagovailoa has been ruled out of Sunday's game at the Jets and a timeline for his return is undetermined. Tagovailoa did not travel with the team to New York but has been participating in team meetings in Miami Gardens.
The NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement that while protocols were followed in the case of Tagovailoa in the Bills game, "the outcome, in this case, was not what was intended when the protocol was drafted."
Basically, everyone seems to agree a rule should have been in place that would have sidelined Tagovailloa after everyone saw what they saw, which was a shaky Tagovailoa.
NFLPA fired independent doctor
The NFPA fired the independent doctor who examined Tagovailoa. On Saturday, the NFL said they disagree with that decision.
The NFLPA has said they want their injured players treated like patients first. The NFL says that is happening and that integrity is being exhibited, including in this case.
The NFL wanted to be clear that Tagovailoa never reported or showed concussion symptoms, not in the locker room, during the game or in the time leading up to the Bengals game.
Tagovailoa told doctors that he stumbled because of a back injury and not head injury. Tagovailoa's back was not examined as part of the locker room concussion evaluation, but a separate doctor had earlier in the day.
After some criticism in the national media as well as from some current and former players and coaches, the NFL and NFLPA huddled to make what it believes will be a change in the best interest of player safety.
Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa concussion, previous stumble lead to NFL rules change
