With the game very uphill for the Miami Dolphins, who in the third quarter of their Thursday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills were losing 31-10, Tua Tagovailoa threw himself forward in search of the first opportunity, but his head collided with the body of the opposing defender Damar Hamlin and suffered a severe concussion.
PUBLICIDAD
Tagovailoa's neck bent, and his head hit the ground. For a second, he remained in a rigid position and then lay on the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, causing a great scare among teammates and opponents, as well as fans. The Dolphins' medical staff immediately arrived to assist him.
PUBLICIDAD
Tagovailoa remained on the field for a couple of minutes before getting up and walking to the sideline. He smiled as he headed to the Dolphins' locker room.
The previous commotions of Tagovailoa
This is not the first time that the 26-year-old player has suffered a similar incident in his career.
In the 2022 season, he suffered two concussions, one of them very serious against the Bengals, in which he also went stiff.
During his college years in Alabama, he also suffered a concussion.
Mike McDaniel, Dolphins' coach, said that Tagovailoa would undergo an "evaluation with appropriate procedures...The last thing I'm thinking about right now is what the timeline is for his return. We just need to evaluate and care for a teammate.".
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and felt encouraged. The quarterback talked to some teammates and went home after the game, McDaniel said.
Voices are growing for Tua to retire despite his age.
As this is the third concussion of his professional career, the second serious one, expert voices have appeared asking Tua to consider retirement, despite being 26 years old and starting his fifth professional season.
The first one was Tony Gonzalez, one of the best tight ends in history, who said in the post-game analysis on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast that "if I were him, at this moment I would seriously consider retiring from football. If it were my son, I would tell him that perhaps it's time to think about it. You don't play around with these things. We are talking about retirement.".
Much more direct was Antonio Pierce, the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. "I'll be honest, I would tell him to retire. It's not worth it," said the former New York Giants player.
“Played the game and I have never seen anything like what happened to him three times. Terrifying. You could tell by looking at the players’ faces on the field, the urgency to get help for Tua. He will live more than he will play football. Take care of your family,” Pierce emphasized.
In July of this year, Tagovailoa signed a four-year extension with the Dolphins for a total of $212 million, averaging $53 million per year. If the quarterback does not receive medical clearance and is forced to leave the game, he is guaranteed $167 million, but not if he retires voluntarily, he would lose a good portion of the money from the last contract.
Brain concussions can leave serious neurodegenerative consequences for players, which begin to develop over time and often go undetected in medical exams.