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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa lies on the field after suffering what his team says was a concussion during the second half in Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills in Miami Gardens, Florida. |
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during his team’s 31-10 loss Thursday night to the visiting Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins said – marking another head injury for a player who previously expressed concern about his history of them.
Tagovailoa left the game in the third quarter after he scrambled for a first down and took a hit to the head by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The 26-year-old stayed on the ground at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and was attended to by Dolphins trainers.
Tagovailoa eventually walked off the field under his own power and was replaced by backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. Tagovailoa was “ruled out with a concussion,” the Dolphins said on social media.
Tagovailoa has a history of concussions, having suffered multiple during the 2022 season. In April 2023, he said he considered walking away from football “for a time” after the concussion issues.
‘Taking it one day at a time,’ coach says
The fifth-year pro was in “good spirits” after the game, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters.
“I talked to him in the locker room,” McDaniel said. “Obviously, I talked to him on the field, and then talked to him in the locker room before he was headed home. He was in good spirits.”
McDaniel said his immediate thought when he saw Tagovailoa go down was “concern.”
“I was just worried about my guy, so, yeah, it’s not something that you ever want to be a part of,” McDaniel said. “You hope not to.”
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The third-year head coach said it was too early to decide about putting Tagovailoa on the injured reserve list – a move that would mean he’d miss at least four games.
“It’s more about getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow,” McDaniel said. “And taking it one day at a time. The furthest thing from my mind is what is the timeline. … We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are.”
When asked if it was still safe for Tagovailoa to play football considering his history with concussions, McDaniel stopped short in giving an answer.
“From a medical standpoint, I don’t approach things that I’m far inferior of expertise,” McDaniel said. “I’m just there to support my teammate, like I said. I think … for me to go ahead and forecast things that I don’t know in my non-field of expertise, I don’t think that’s appropriate.
“I think we will find out some more information tomorrow in terms of where Tua is at. … We will have conversations and progress as appropriate.”
Tagovailoa went around the locker room and “connected” with his teammates to “keep the guys’ heads up,” McDaniel said.
“Just another example of his great character and leadership,” McDaniel added. “I think that when something happens to an individual and you see their response – I mean, he’s concerned about his teammates. That tells you everything about the type of person he is, and he knows what he means to this team.”
Tagovailoa struggled before leaving the game Thursday, throwing three interceptions.
This story was updated with additional information.
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