Tua Tagovailoa Suffers Serious Head Injury After Start of Potential Breakout Season
John Divuolo
Staff Writer
During week two of the NFL season, Miami Dolphins fans saw their quarterback Tua Tagovailoa erupt. Baltimore was off to an electric start behind star quarterback Lamar Jackson and had Baltimore up 35-14 on Miami. Miami would score 28 points, with Tua throwing two touchdowns to Tyreek Hill and a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle in the final eight minutes. Baltimore would score just three points in the fourth quarter and Miami won 42-38. Tua finished the game against Baltimore 36 for 50 on pass attempts, 469 passing yards, and six touchdowns. This game finally showed the Dolphins and the NFL as a whole what Tua is truly capable of.
Going into week three of the NFL season, Tua was faced with an even more daunting task than Baltimore. Miami was playing play the Super Bowl favorite, Buffalo Bills, led by Josh Allen, one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Tua getting a victory in this matchup would mean so much for the franchise, as going into this NFL season, many had doubted the quarterback’s passing ability. Last year, Tua lacked the necessary arm strength to be a star quarterback, as well as the quarterback vision that elite QBs possess. To help Tua have a breakout season, Miami acquired star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, as well as a shifty running back, Raheem Mostert. This game against Buffalo would truly prove Miami’s chances at making it to the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Tagovailoa was sacked by Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano and was seen stumbling and holding his head as he attempted to recover from this sack. He was sent to the locker room to be evaluated and controversially, Miami sent him back on the field. Although he won this game against the Buffalo Bills, fans were not sure what to make of this injury, as it had looked like a concussion. The Miami Dolphins organization told the public that it was a back injury and Tua would be cleared to play next week. Regardless of what anyone thought, he played in the upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals, just four days later in a Thursday night game in Cincinnati. Most fans assumed that he had been cleared to play and had not suffered from a concussion after the sack by Milano. This would unfortunately take a turn for the worse when Tua was sacked again by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou. After this hit to Tua, we went into a fencing response associated with concussions. It was clear that he had suffered a second head injury. His arms and fingers locked up and there was a horrible feeling that he could be paralyzed from this hit. Thankfully, he was treated at the hospital, and there has been no permanent damage done to him.
The doctor that cleared Tua was fired recently because it is extremely clear now that Tua should not have played against the Bengals, and he should not have been brought back into the Bills game at all. Tua was treated for a head and neck injury after the Bengals game, and this could have been a complete nightmare. The Miami Dolphins organization needs to take responsibility for this and organize an apology to both the fans and especially their players. A player’s health should never come second to receiving a victory no matter what the situation is, and the organization is clearly guilty of putting an injured man at the starting quarterback position.
Contact John at john.divuolo@shu.edu