Tua Tagovailoa plays for Miami Dolphins on Thursday against the Bengals… just four days after appearing to be concussed in a game and dismissing it as a back injury
- Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered an apparent head injury on Sunday
- Teammates had to help him stand upright after his head slammed to the turf
- Instead of being removed, he returned to lead an upset victory over Buffalo
- And he was back on the field on Thursday as the Dolphins played the Bengals
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
Tua Tagovailoa was fine to play for the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night against Cincinnati Bengals, only four days after he appeared to struggle with a concussion.
Quarter-back Tagovailoa appeared disorientated and briefly left Sunday’s surprise win over Buffalo Bills after hitting his head on the turf. He stumbled on his feet and team-mates had to hold him up.
He was facing a third-and-3 play from the Miami 21 when he scrambled and found Jaylen Waddle for an 8-yard gain. After releasing the ball, Tagovailoa got hit – a two-hand push in the chest – by Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano, who was flagged for roughing the passer.
Quarter-back Tua Tagovailoa was fine to play for the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night
Just four days earlier, Tagovailoa staggered around after a hit, appearing to be concussed
Tagovailoa’s return raised some questions. The NFL announced Wednesday that they were reviewing how he returned to the game but upon returning to the field in the second half, the Dolphins announced that Tagovailoa had suffered a back injury and was not concussed.
Tagovailoa described the incident later, saying he aggravated a back injury.
‘On the quarterback sneak, I kind of got my legs got caught under someone and they were trying to push back and it felt like I kind of hyperextended my back or something,’ Tagovailoa told reporters after helping improve to 3-0 on the year. ‘Then on the next play, I kinda hit my back… that’s where I stumbled.’
Tagovailoa said he ‘passed whatever concussion protocol they had,’ adding, ‘I’m good.’
However, Chris Nowinski, a Harvard-educated neuroscientist and critic of the handling of concussions in the NFL, took issue with that explanation on Twitter.
‘I’m calling bulls*** on the ”back tweak theory,”’ Nowinski tweeted. ‘Watch the vid. Tua shakes his head multiple times to ‘clear the cobwebs’, which is a specific sign of vision impairment after #concussion. He also wobbles getting up before falling. His return is a fail @NFL.’
He was listed as questionable for the game but ultimately was well enough to play.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
