With Tua Tagovailoa’s future and health on the line, Dolphins must exercise ultimate caution

It was the scene none of us wished to see: Tua Tagovailoa incapacitated on the soccer subject after one other collision and blow to the pinnacle.

However there we discovered ourselves late Thursday night time, watching in worry of the Miami Dolphins quarterback’s well-being as medical personnel tended to him after his third-quarter scramble and collision with Buffalo Payments security Damar Hamlin. Instantly, reminiscences and psychological photos of Tagovailoa’s 2022 concussions rushed again.

The center-stopping worry that his relations will need to have skilled at that second is tough to fathom. However everybody from present to former NFL gamers, followers and anybody in between sympathized.

Tagovailoa finally was helped to his ft, and he limped off the sphere beneath his personal energy. Simply earlier than the quarterback reached the sideline, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel had a short phrase along with his participant, “I advised him he’s the beginning quarterback of his household, and to ‘Go within the locker room, take a deep breath and I’ll see you quickly.’” With that, McDaniel kissed Tagovailoa on the pinnacle and turned him over to the trainers, who ushered him to the locker room for analysis.

.@KayleeHartung supplies an replace on Tua Tagovailoa. pic.twitter.com/hiEnuq9ISC

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 13, 2024

McDaniel’s feelings had been inconceivable to cover for the rest of the sport and through his postgame information convention. McDaniel instantly fielded questions on how the Dolphins would method Tagovailoa’s restoration, however he stated solely that he anticipated Tagovailoa to undergo in depth evaluations on Friday, and that the Dolphins would then method the scenario and the quarterback’s care “in the future at a time.”

Now confronted with how you can deal with their quarterback after a 3rd identified concussion in three seasons, Dolphins management finds itself in a particularly troublesome place. It should wait to learn the way this newest concussion will impression the 26-year-old quarterback after which grapple with the choice of when/if he ought to return to the sphere.

The Dolphins and their medical doctors little doubt will work onerous to keep away from a repeat of 2022, when Tagovailoa seemingly was allowed to return to motion prematurely after which sustained a minimum of one different concussion. (These selections sparked a joint investigation by the NFL and NFL Gamers Affiliation’s health workers.)

If you happen to recall, it was Week 3 of that 2022 season when Tagovailoa sustained a blow that left him stumbling and struggling to keep up his stability after an harm that the Dolphins labeled as a again harm, though one thing about that analysis all the time felt off. Tagovailoa began the next recreation earlier than finally sustaining a sack that brought about his again and again of his helmet to hit the bottom. Tagovailoa’s physique involuntarily went into the fencing response earlier than he was taken off the sphere on a stretcher. Then in Week 16, Tagovailoa sustained one other concussion and missed the ultimate two regular-season video games and Miami’s playoff recreation.

If the Dolphins realized something from that Week 3 and 4 sequence, it’s that medical exams and league-mandated protocols aren’t all the time as all-encompassing or as foolproof as one would hope. So this time measures which will even appear excessive are required as they navigate this newest mind harm restoration with their quarterback.

Virtually instantly after Tagovailoa’s harm Thursday night time, social media erupted with opinions from former gamers, together with Corridor of Fame tight finish Tony Gonzalez, who coated the sport for Amazon Prime, and followers who urged that Tagovailoa ought to retire — by no means taking part in soccer once more. The chance of the quarterback returning to motion and struggling one other (and presumably extra devastating) concussion appears to far outweigh the rewards of a continued taking part in profession, they consider.

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It’s not so easy, nonetheless. How do you inform a younger man that he’s unfit for work? How do you inform him that he can now not reside his dream?

Tagovailoa actually has proved he’s able to taking part in at an elite stage. He led the NFL in passing yards final season and had gotten off to a different prolific begin in Week 1. However his harm historical past means that his physique isn’t designed to carry up beneath the trials of this violent recreation.

There’s a fantastic line between supporting a participant whereas permitting him to reside his life and make his selections and defending a participant from himself. Figuring out the place that differentiating line falls is painfully sophisticated and maybe inconceivable to find out.

Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards final season and was the league’s chief via Week 1 of this season. (Jasen Vinlove / USA Right this moment)

It’s an unenviable place for the Dolphins, who earlier this summer time agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the quarterback. The deal is the very last thing on anybody within the group’s minds right now. Defending and supporting a member of their household in hopes he returns to full well being and maintains the flexibility to guide a high quality life tops their precedence listing.

The Dolphins can’t abide by the standard return-to-play concussion protocol, which entails each day monitoring and benchmarks and a gradual ramp-up of bodily exercise and potential clearance for recreation motion by the top of the identical week.

It looks like the Dolphins’ medical doctors ought to mandate in depth and essentially the most refined testing potential to study as a lot about Tagovailoa’s mind and restoration course of earlier than they let him set foot anyplace a lot as a treadmill. The issue is that concussion-related mind harm is usually troublesome to detect even with essentially the most trendy types of expertise. However excessive care is required, even when the quarterback is now not exhibiting concussion signs.

For now, it’s far too early to know what the restoration timeline appears like. McDaniel stated Friday that he didn’t even know if the Dolphins would place the quarterback on injured reserve (a minimal of 4 video games) to make sure he doesn’t try and rush again.

“I actually is not going to know any form of something both approach, as a result of, once more, that’s how we’re working, as if we all know nothing — as a result of we don’t,” the coach stated. “The driving drive behind any form of transfer — let’s say taking part in anytime, let’s say IR, no matter these issues are — absolutely the most necessary opinion is that of crucial particular person on this entire equation: Tua. His opinion of what he needs to do along with his life and his profession, coupled with the consultants in neuroscience — these are the driving forces behind these actions. … I’m not hiding something. I’m being as clear as I completely may. I’ve zero thought what any form of timeline is, and I’m truly extraordinarily motivated to be within the grey, as a result of I’m extraordinarily motivated to do proper by, you already know, the person who we’re speaking about. I do know that’s not a perfect method to do enterprise, essentially. However that is greater than enterprise.”

McDaniel added, “Actually all I’m telling Tua is, ‘Everyone seems to be relying on you to be a dad this weekend,’ after which we’ll transfer from there.”

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If Tagovailoa does finally determine he needs to proceed taking part in and medical doctors permit it, then the Dolphins should do every little thing potential to guard him, which implies bringing him alongside at a painstakingly gradual tempo to assist guard in opposition to setbacks, and maybe making him put on a Guardian Cap in video games over his already specialised helmet. However that’s simply the beginning.

They’ve invested in him closely at this level. His contract options $167 million that’s assured for harm, together with $43 million that has been paid this 12 months. Even when the group pressured him to retire for medical causes, it might owe Tagovailoa the remaining $124 million of assured cash on his contract. If he chooses to retire on his personal, he would forfeit that cash, except he and the group reached an harm settlement. So, the one transfer is to train persistence and help.

McDaniel defined, “I have a look at Tua as a member of the family of mine,” and his sentiments are shared by these inside the Dolphins’ group. So for now, the mandatory strikes are to make sure the well-being of the person takes priority over any soccer issues. Then, finally these selections will come.

If solely there was a method to assure that the Dolphins quarterback by no means has to endure the same episode sooner or later.

(Prime photograph of Mike McDaniel kissing Tua Tagovailoa as he exits the sphere: Megan Briggs / Getty Photographs)