This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s game against the visiting Buffalo Bills with a concussion after taking a shot to the head during the third quarter.
Tagovailoa scrambled up the middle to gain a first down on a fourth-and-4 play in the red zone, but instead of sliding, he collided with Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin, his head making contact with Hamlin’s arm.
After being attended to by coaches and trainers, Tagovailoa walked off the field with 4:24 remaining in the quarter and was taken straight to the locker room. Skylar Thompson entered the game at quarterback for Miami.
The Dolphins later announced that Tagovailoa had a concussion and would not return to the game.
The 2020 fifth overall draft pick experienced two known concussions during the 2022 season. He went down during a Week 3 game against the Bills, but he supposedly cleared concussion protocol and returned to the game after what the Dolphins termed a back injury.
The Dolphins played the Cincinnati Bengals four days later on “Thursday Night Football,” and after being taken to the ground on a sack, Tagovailoa exhibited a fencing response and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. The fallout led to the firing of the NFL Players Association’s independent neurotrauma consultant and led the league and union to revise their concussion policy.
–Field Level Media
