Tua Injury: Updates, Thoughts and Questions

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss the Week 5 game against the New York Jets

Before the Miami Dolphins returned to practice Monday for the first time since their Thursday night loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Mike McDaniel announced that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will not play against the New York Jets in Week 5.

McDaniel says it was premature to decide whether Tagovailoa will be going on injured reserve, which would sideline him for at least four games, and that the quarterback was doing better the last two days.

Tagovailoa is in the concussion protocol as a result of the scary-looking injury that led to him being carted off on a stretch at Paycor Stadium in the second quarter of the Dolphins' 27-15.

"I can comfortably say that he’ll be out for this game against the Jets, but anything beyond that, we’re just focused on making sure he’s at optimal health and then crossing that bridge," McDaniel said. "So it’s a little early for definitive timelines beyond that.”

The uncertainty concerning how long Tagovailoa might be out comes with concussions, where players can be out for an extended period of time and not miss very much time at all, with the Dolphins involved in two examples in recent years with Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco playing 10 days after being knocked out by linebacker Kiko Alonso (in a Thursday night game) and tight end Cethan Carter missing the past three games this season after sustaining a concussion in the opener against New England.

So trying to predict how long Tagovailoa will be out of action is a futile exercise, and McDaniel (rightfully) wasn't going to go anywhere near it when he addressed the media Friday, saying his only concern at this time is Tagovailoa's health.

On that point, all the signs continue to be very encouraging, up to and including Tua's statement on social media Friday and the comments from University of Maryland head coach Mike Locksley after Tua's brother Taulia passed for 314 yards in the Terrapins' 27-13 victory against Michigan State on Saturday.

“I think the one thing that was able to settle him down was, you know, he was finally able to get a FaceTime with Tua and Tua basically said, ‘Hey, I’m fine man, go play. I’m looking forward to seeing you go play and win a game. ’ " " Locksley said, according to Inside The Black & Gold. "So, right after dinner (Friday) night was the first time in probably 24 hours that I saw his energy.”

Appreciate all the support! 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/jWBYyvbbwg

— Tua. T 🇦🇸 (@Tua) September 30, 2022

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENCOURAGING SIGNS FOR TUA

Based on comments from McDaniel and some of his teammates, it does appear as though Tua is on the way back to feeling normal again, indicating the MRI on the quarterback came back clean, as did the tests conducted Thursday night.

"Right now, he’s in the building," McDaniel said early Monday afternoon. "He’s had a couple of good days. But he’s just trying to go through with the proper procedure and protocols so that he’s feeling 100 percent. I know he’s going to be diligent with it. And if there’s obviously any things that are giving him issues in terms of light and those things, then we will shut that down.”

And then there were comments from Christian Wilkins and Tyreek Hill.

Wilkins: “That’s obviously tough to see and tough to deal with, but we all had each other’s back. We all had Tua’s back and just wishing him well. A lot of guys were praying for him and things like that, obviously. He’s better now, so we’re all happy for that and that he’s feeling better and that he’s himself and he’s around here. He’s being himself and Tua and bringing great energy. So that’s obviously the most important thing.”

Hill: "Tua has been in. Tua’s fine. I’ve had a chance to talk to him on our off days. There’s really nothing to talk about further. Tua is fine. He’s in good hands. ... I just saw him in the locker room a moment ago and he’s smiling from ear to ear.”

THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO TUA'S INJURY AGAINST BUFFALO

The Tua situation has been a hot topic around the NFL because of the optics of the injury he sustained against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 25, four days before he was knocked out of the game at Cincinnati.

We've lost track by now of how many medical professionals and former NFL players chimed in on Twitter with their view that it was a concussion and not a back injury that made him wobbly after he was shoved to the ground by Bills linebacker Matt Milano, but it's a pretty strong step to suggest the Dolphins team physician and the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UFC) lied to get him back into that game, just like it's a really bad step and pretty much absurd to think that McDaniel was told that Tua had a concussion but decided to override the medical opinions and put Tua back in the game against their advice.

Does anybody really believe McDaniel would do that?

And with a focus on concussions in recent years, one would expect healthcare personnel, whether affiliated with the team or not, always to err on the side of caution.

That's not to suggest that it's impossible that Tua did sustain a concussion against Buffalo but that errors were made in the assessment and he shouldn't have been allowed to return in that game. Again, nobody (or practically nobody) who's been around  the game for any length of time (in whatever capacity) would deny the point that the injury sure looked like a head injury.

It should be noted, however, that a replay of Tua's quarterback sneak against the Bills in the first quarter shows him grabbing his back after the play and then getting up very slowly and appearing in some discomfort.

While the NFL-NFLPA investigation into whether the concussion protocols were followed properly continues, the NFLPA "terminated" the UNC involved in the Tua evaluation Saturday, according to multiple reports.

The two sides reached an agreement, not yet formalized, that will change the concussion protocol and will immediately disqualify from the current game a player who shows "gross motor instability," regardless of reason, according to NFL.com.

On Saturday, the NFL and NFLPA released a joint statement: "The joint NFL-NFLPA investigation into the application of the Concussion Protocol involving Miami Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains ongoing. Therefore, we have not made any conclusions about medical errors or protocol violations. The NFL and the NFLPA agree that modifications to the Concussion Protocol are needed to enhance player safety. The NFLPA's Mackey-White Health & Safety Committee and the NFL's Head Neck and Spine Committee have already begun conversations around the use of the term "Gross Motor Instability" and we anticipate changes to the protocol being made in the coming days based on what has been learned thus far in the review process. The NFL and NFLPA share a strong appreciation for the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants who contribute their time and expertise to our game solely to advance player safety. This program has made our game safer for the athletes who play it for the past twelve seasons."

On Sunday night, Pro Football Talk/NBC analyst Mike Florio reported the following update:

“As for the investigation, the NFL Players Association intends to ask Tua Tagovailoa this week a very simple question — if it was your back, if you told the doctors it was your back, what did they do to examine your back? And the broader point is this — if Tua had a back injury that caused him to wobble and nearly fall, shouldn’t he have been ruled out because of the back injury?

“The league and the union really are working together here trying to find a way to make the concussion protocol less of a checklist for letting a guy back onto the field and more of a device for protecting players. The union wants the doctors to treat the players not like football players, but like patients, and to put their best interests as human beings above their desire to get back on the football field. That’s one of the reasons the union exercised its right to terminate the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who was involved in clearing Tua to play last weekend.”

ASSORTED THOUGHTS ON THE TUA SITUATION

-- We'll start with a positive side of the injury, and that's how Bills fans stepped up in support of the Dolphins quarterback. According to the Buffalo News, the Tua Foundation received more than 1,000 donations, largely in small amounts, per the foundation's executive director, Burt Trembly. "We’re just grateful for all the support," Trembly said. Interestingly, a number of donations were made in the amount of $21.19 (the score of the game between the Bills and Dolphins) and $17.01 (a combination of Josh Allen's number and Tagovailoa's number).

-- Not that it should have taken the injury at Cincinnati for it to happen, but Dolphins coaches have to drill into Tua the concept of giving up on a play if it's not there. The injury against the Bengals didn't have to happen. He held on to the ball for more than five seconds after the snap because he couldn't find anybody open. The right move there would have been to start scrambling downfield, gain as much yardage as possible and then slide, or scramble out of the pocket to his left and just throw the ball away. Trying to dodge oncoming defensive linemen is not the way to go.

-- In the same vein, we strongly would advise McDaniel (if he ever decided to listen to us) not to use Tua on quarterback sneaks anymore. Remember that McDaniel said after the Buffalo game that it was on a sneak that Tua sustained the back injury that caused the wobble after the Milano shove. And, for the record, this is something we've said before. Tua's job description should be getting the ball to the playmakers on offense, not picking up a yard on third-and-short or fourth-and-short. He's just not built for that. Look, there was a reason the Dolphins brought in Jacoby Brissett for those situations last season. This year, let the running backs or fullback Alec Ingold pick up the short yardage ... or have Tua run a play-action fake.

-- It's also understandable for Dolphins fan to suggest the hit by Josh Tupou on Tua was dirty because of the end result and the emotions involved, but it most definitely wasn't dirty. And that's not just because it didn't draw a flag. Tupou just spun Tua around to take him to the ground, didn't bodyslam him while landing on him, didn't lead with his helmet, none of that. The result was terrible, the hit wasn't. And if you're a Dolphins fan and still not buying that, just picture Christian Wilkins tackling Joe Burrow the exact same way and getting flagged for roughing the passer, and be honest about what your reaction would be.

-- As a final word, as we dissect and re-dissect the whole episode, let's never lose sight of the fact that Tua is a person first and a football player second. His health, both in the short term and the long term, should be above all and anything else what matters. And that goes for every players on the Dolphins and around the NFL.