Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins left Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals on a stretcher.
Just five days removed from Tagovailoa hitting his head and falling to the ground in the Dolphins’ 21-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills, the superstar quarterback appeared to be knocked unconscious from another brain-rattling tackle made at mid-field.
Here is the whole sequence of #Dolphins Tua’s head injury.🙏🙏pic.twitter.com/hLDNims7xl
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) September 30, 2022
Prior to Thursday’s opening kickoff between the Dolphins and Bengals, Chris Nowinski, who is the founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said “if Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL. If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included.”
If Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL.
If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn’t right https://t.co/vxpaOif5rh
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 29, 2022
What Nowinski was fearful of happened and now the Dolphins may face repercussions.
After the Dolphins tweeted out an update on their quarterbacks health following the sack that knocked him out, Nowinski threatened to press murder charges on the organization if Tagovailoa goes on to die from second-impact syndrome.
You guys should go to jail for letting him play 5 days after an obvious #concussion you covered up. If he dies from second-impact syndrome, I’m pushing form murder charges. https://t.co/Wv043Tj9x5
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 30, 2022
It’s puzzling how Miami let Tagovailoa play after seeing obvious signs of him being concussed Sunday. The way that he laid there tonight with his fingers curled up was frightening. The Dolphins decision to allow him to play may alter the 24-year-olds health long-term. You often don’t know the damage a concussion does to a person until later in life. (RELATED:NFL Star Says He Was Speeding Before Ohio Car Crash, Video Shows)
From seeing what concussions do to other people well after their playing days are over, you have to wonder if Tagovailoa will ever be the same.
For how the Dolphins jeopardized Tagovailoa’s life, they deserve to face a steep punishment.