Monday, the Miami dolphins announced that the quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was placed on the NFL’s concussion protocola shocking announcement after playing the entirety of Sunday’s loss against Green Bay Packers without apparent injury.
The news raised immediate concerns over Tagovailoa’s health after the Dolphins quarterback was hospitalized in September Because of a second head injury in two games. Several former NFL players working in the media on Monday urged the league, the Dolphins and Tagovailoa to make sure he won’t play again this season.
Former NFL quarterbacks Steve Young and Robert Griffin the III discussed the topic with former defensive tackle Booger McFarland on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown.” All called for more caution in the NFL regarding head injuries while Griffin and McFarland directly called on Tagovailoa to shut it down.
“Tua Tagovailoa shouldn’t play again this season if the NFL is serious about health and safety and concussions,” McFarland said.
Griffin, who saw his own career come to an end after playing while injured in a playoff gameurged the NFL to prioritize Tagovailoa the person over Tagovailoa the player.
“When we’re talking about these head injuries, there’s nothing to play with,” Griffin said. “You have to put the person before the player. I’m more concerned about Tua and his longevity in life than whether he’s going to play on Sunday.”
“He shouldn’t be playing for the rest of the season.”
Griffind reiterates his sentiment on social media.
Young did not explicitly ask Tagovailoa to end his season. But he urged more guarantees from the NFL while acknowledging the medical challenges involved in assessing brain damage.
“The final frontier of medical science is the brain,” Young said. …”As gamers, we don’t understand or have any idea how risky our heads are. We don’t know, and medical science can’t really tell us. Ultimately, we’re out there every day risking something we can’t assess.
“So Tua goes back into that. … I recognize how tough it is for the NFL and how much is at stake. If we’re going to be serious about it, we need to be able to test somebody before the game, and they’re out for the game.”
Young, a Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, retired in 2000 after several lectures lifted the Spectrum of permanent brain damage. He has since been frequently advocated for better treatment and awareness of brain injury in football.
Meanwhile, former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanual Acho joined Griffin and McFarland in calling Tagovailoa’s season-ending call. speaking on FS1.
“You have to close Tua for the season,” Acho said. “Period. No talk, no discussion, no doubts. You have to shut it down for the season. …
“It’s better to be safe than sorry. The Dolphins have already been sorry once this year.”
In “sorry,” Acho referenced Miami’s Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals which saw Tagovailoa leave the game on a stretcher in a chilling scene that ended with the Dolphins quarterback in the hospital. A second head injury in two weeks is the cause. A week ago, he suffered what the Dolphins initially assessed as a head injury against the Buffalo Tickets before being allowed to return and finish the game. the The NFLPA finally fired a doctor who was involved in clearing Tagovailoa to return, and the The league has since updated its concussion protocol.
The back of Tagovailoa’s header bounced off the grass that day against the Bills, much like he did it on Sunday against the Packers. He was medically cleared the following week to play against the Bengals and ended up in hospital. Hence the amplified concern over the Dolphins quarterback, who now appears to have suffered three head injuries in one NFL season.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins are in the thick of the AFC playoff race with games remaining against the New England Patriots and New York Jets which will determine their playoff seeding. Tagovailoa’s status for Sunday against New England was clear as early as Monday.
The pressure will be on for Tagovailoa to play if he is deemed healthy. But concerns about his long-term health may ultimately win out.
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