Tua Tagovailoa's concussion raises questions about whether he should have been playing

CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Dolphins' 27-15 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night seemed insignificant in the context of the scary injury to Tua Tagovailoa.

Miami's starting quarterback suffered a concussion on a second-quarter sack, left the field on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital. Although Tagovailoa was healthy enough to fly back to Miami with the team, there were more questions than answers in the post-game interviews.

“It was a scary moment,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “He was evaluated for a concussion and he’s in the concussion protocol. He was at the hospital. I believe he’s about to get discharged. 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.

“… The best news 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.”

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With 5:57 left in the first half, the Dolphins were trailing, 7-6, and driving in Cincinnati territory when Tagovailoa dropped back to pass near midfield.

Tagovailoa got wrapped up around the waist by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou, who swung Tagovailoa to the ground. Tagovailoa’s head collided with the ground, much like it did in last Sunday’s win over the Bills causing him to noticeably stagger when he got up and forcing him to exit the game briefly.

After Thursday’s hit, though, Tagovailoa was unable to even get up. The third-year quarterback’s hands seemed to lock in a fixed position in front of his face while the rest of his body remained motionless.

The training staff quickly rushed onto the field to tend to Tagovailoa.

“He was responding,” McDaniel said. “When I got out there, which was pretty quick, he was conscious. I could just tell by what we were communicating and how he’s talking to me that he was in the midst of a concussion for sure. I’m no medical expert but it was pretty obvious to me. He was just trying to grasp what was going on, what had just happened. There was some of that foggy nature to it.”

Miami’s offense and Cincinnati’s defense took a knee, recognizing the seriousness of the situation.

As Tagovailoa was being placed on a stretcher, the entire Dolphins team walked onto the field near him before he was taken off the field.

McDaniel was asked after the game about the process to determine whether Tagovailoa was fit to play Thursday after going down four days earlier and suffering a back injury - but also placed in the NFL's concussion protocol. The NFL Players Association has requested a review to assure the league's concussion protocol was adhered to.

“What goes into every one of those decisions,” he said. “It starts with your medical staff, but then there’s independent specialists that look into it, too. There’s an entire protocol and you’re talking to the player as well. Probably five or six different layers of a process in decision-making like you do with all players.”

McDaniel was also asked if he can say with 100% certainty that Tagovailoa did not suffer a concussion in Sunday’s win over the Bills.

“Yeah, otherwise we would have reported him having a head injury,” McDaniel said. “That’s why the NFL has these protocols. There’s an independent specialist that specializes in the specialty of brain matter. As long as I’m coaching here, I’m not gonna fudge that whole situation. If there’s any sort of inclination that someone has a concussion they go into concussion protocol and it’s very strict. As long as I’m the head coach that will never be an issue that you guys have to worry about.”

Shortly after he was taken off the field, Tagovailoa left the stadium in an ambulance for University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The Dolphins then ruled Tagovailoa out for the rest of the game with head and neck injuries, and provided an update that he was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities.

Teddy Bridgewater replaced Tagovailoa for the second time in less than a week.

Bridgewater had to focus on getting ready to play. But there was a lot going through his mind, like last December when he was carted off the field while playing for the Broncos against the Bengals with a head injury of his own.

“It’s very scary,” Bridgewater said. “You hear people say injury is a part of the game. That’s the part of the game that sucks. It’s fun to compete, it’s fun to score touchdowns and make plays, but it’s that one side of the game that really sucks, and it’s unfortunate."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa taken to hospital as Miami Dolphins lose to Bengals