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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN
MIAMI — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday evening’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills after struggling a concussion, the third recognized concussion of his NFL profession.
Late within the third quarter, Tagovailoa scrambled up the center for a primary down and lowered his shoulder to provoke contact with Payments security Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa’s helmet made arduous contact with Hamlin’s physique, and the quarterback instantly went right into a fencing response together with his arms in an unnatural place.
Dolphins medical trainers attended to him for a number of minutes as gamers knelt round him. He was in the end in a position to stroll off the sphere underneath his personal energy and into the crew’s locker room.
He was rapidly dominated out for the sport.
Tagovailoa was the topic of widespread consideration in 2022, when he hit the again of his head on the bottom in a recreation in opposition to the Payments. He found his means again to the Dolphins’ huddle and briefly left the sport earlier than getting back from what was described as a again damage.
The NFL and NFLPA opened a joint investigation into how Tagovailoa was dealt with, resulting in the NFLPA exercising its proper to fireside the unaffiliated neurological advisor who cleared Tagovailoa to return to the sport. The NFL additionally altered its concussion coverage to incorporate an ataxia clause — permitting a spotter to have gamers faraway from the sport in the event that they present sure concussion signs.
4 days later, Tagovailoa hit the again of his head on the bottom in comparable vogue throughout a recreation in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals and was briefly rendered unconscious. He was taken to a neighborhood hospital and recognized with a concussion. Afterward, coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins drew heavy criticism for permitting him to play.
Tagovailoa sat out two video games earlier than returning to the sphere however suffered one other concussion throughout a Dec. 25 recreation in opposition to the Green Bay Packers. This time, the Dolphins shut him down for the remainder of the season.
Tagovailoa mentioned he briefly thought-about retirement after the 2022 season after conversations together with his household. Throughout an interview with “The Dan Le Batard Present,” he clarified that his mom requested him to contemplate retiring. He determined in opposition to it and spent the offseason bulking up and coaching in jiu-jitsu to discover ways to fall with out hitting his head on the bottom.
The coaching labored; he performed all 17 regular-season video games in 2023 and the Dolphins’ playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This offseason, he signed a four-year, $212.1 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid participant in franchise historical past.
Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson entered the sport instead of Tagovailoa with Miami trailing 31-10.
