Tagovailoa started Thursday’s game against the Bengals but received another hit late in the second quarter, hitting his head on the turf and showing obvious signs of a concussion. He left the field on a cart and was taken to a Cincinnati hospital. After the game, the Dolphins said Tagovailoa would be released to return to South Florida with the team.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III retweeted a video of the hit Tagovailoa took against the Bills and said the Dolphins “should answer” for their decision to let him start on Thursday.
Former NFL offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger noted the head injuries he suffered during his career and said he was happy that the decision on whether he should have quickly returned to the land was taken from his hands.
Very grateful today to the Patriots coaches and medical staff for how they handled my concussion in 2011.
I was up, they took it seriously, and I spent the year on IR. They saved me from myself. I would have rushed if they had let me. They did not do it.
Prayers for Tua.
— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) September 30, 2022
Griffin also said it was the team’s job to protect players from further injury.
Tua is a case where NFL teams have to protect players from themselves.
Tua is also a case where NFL players need to be protected from their NFL teams.—Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 30, 2022
Ryan Shazier, a former NFL linebacker who suffered a crippling spinal injury while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game in Cincinnati in 2017, said Tagovailoa is in good hands at center medical from the University of Cincinnati.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 for you. God be with you and I hope it’s okay. The staff at UC hospital do a great job with care. You are in good hands. #DolphinsvsBengals
—Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) September 30, 2022
Former NFL safety Ryan Clark said he suspects Tagovailoa’s injury on Sunday involved more than his back.
I didn’t buy Tua’s back injury, and I’m afraid I’m right. I had 2 concussions in 3 weeks ago, and the 2nd was much worse than the 1st.
Take care brother. You can lie to others, but you cannot lie to yourself. If you watch the movie, you know, and the movie don’t lie
—Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 30, 2022
New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon said Tagovailoa should have been on the sidelines on Thursday.
That was no reason for the man to be there. SMH. Protect yourself because some people only see you as a football player.
— Matthew Judon (@man_dammn) September 30, 2022
A number of NFL players, including Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt, have been more critical of Amazon’s decision to continue showing replays of the game, particularly its aftermath when Tagovailoa was writhing on the ground after taking the hit.
BRO STOP SHOWING THE REPLAY
– Trending Topic 🤷🏾♂️ (@BigTicket73) September 30, 2022
Why the hell would you want to replay that man lying on the floor like that… prayers killed 🙏🏾
— Dont’a Hightower (@zeus30hightower) September 30, 2022
The @MiamiDolphins just failed Tua. How could you leave him on the pitch after last week? Especially on a short week. Shame on everyone involved. And shame on @Amazon to continually show it.
— Justin Pugh (@JustinPugh) September 30, 2022
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