Tua Injury Postgame Reaction

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the Thursday night game against Buffalo with a concussion

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg (74) and tight end Jonnu Smith (9) attend to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) after an apparent injury during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Head coach Mike McDaniel's sole focus in regards to Tua Tagovailoa after the Miami Dolphins' Thursday night loss was on the well-being of his quarterback, and not discussing possibilities regarding Tagovailoa's future after another concussion.

That included the question of whether Tagovailoa should retire, which had already popped up in the aftermath of a third (or possibly fourth) concussion since the start of the 2022 season.

McDaniel said he saw Tua in the locker room after the game and he said he was "in good spirits."

"I think that's from a medical standpoint. I don't approach things that I'm far inferior in expertise," McDaniel said after the Dolphins' disappointing 31-10 loss against the Buffalo Bills. "I'm just there to support my teammate, and for me to go ahead and forecast things that I don't know, and in my non-field of expertise, I don't think that's appropriate. We'll find out some more information tomorrow in terms of where Tua is at. He'll be able to spend a good amount of time being evaluated. And then, we'll have conversations and progress as appropriate.

"But I'm like the rest of his teammates, who he went around the locker room and connected with as a leader. He was trying to keep the guys heads up and he'll be in the office tomorrow to to be have the appropriate care."

McDaniel said it was also too early to discuss putting Tagovailoa on injured reserve, which would sideline him for at least four games.

"Right now, it's more about getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow and taking it one day at a time," McDaniel said. "The furthest thing from my mind is, you know what? What is the timeline? We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate like the rest of the guys are, but we'll get more information tomorrow, and then take it day by day from there."

Tua was injured when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin hit him at the end of a 7-yard scramble that converted a fourth-and-4 situation for the Dolphins late in the third quarter.

The Dolphins did not place Tagovailoa on injured reserve after he sustained his scary concussion in the 2022 Thursday night game at Cincinnati, though he missed the next two games. Tua later missed the final two games of the regular season that year, plus the playoff game at Buffalo after sustaining another concussion in a Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers.

McDaniel said what happened in 2022 would not dictate the Dolphins' decisions this time.

"I think it's important to to approach each and every situation much like we approach every injury, which is basically all right, we're going to handle this particular situation with this particular player," McDaniel said. "Every situation is unique to its own. I'm not worried about anything that's out of my hands, I'm just worried about the human being. And he'll drive the drive the ship when we get the appropriate information, but it's day by day."

OTHER REACTION TO TUA'S CONCUSSION

Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson: "I'll tell you what, it makes me sick, you know? And I think anyone for the human eye, it sucks. In my position, you never want to have the opportunity to come up with something like that. Have a lot of love for Tua...built a great relationship with him. And, yeah, you care about the person more than the player. And, as you know, everybody in the organization would say the same thing. And so just really praying for Tua, and hopefully everything will come out all right."

Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the Amazon Prime postgame: "If you know Tua outside of football like I do, you can't help but feel for him. He is a great football player, but he's an even greater human being. He's one of the best humans on the planet. I got a lot of love for him and just praying for him and his family and hoping everything's OK. But, yeah, it's tough, man. This game of football that we play, it's got its high, and it's got its lows, and that's definitely one of the lows."

Bills tackle Dion Dawkins also expressed his support for Tua in a very classy way.

The Bills certainly celebrated their win over the Dolphins
But Dion Dawkins says he and his teammates are thinking for and praying for Tua Tagovailova who went out with another concussion#BillsMafia@MiamiDolphins @DDawkins66 pic.twitter.com/8W5SdvCd9Z

— Mike Catalana (@MikeCatalana) September 13, 2024

CTE expert Chris Nowinski also addressed the possibility of retirement. While he didn't make a definitive statement, he said Tua "is in a very tough spot."

Prayers for Tua Tagovailoa. Note his right hand balling into a fist and his arm going straight in the air. That's posturing and a sign of loss of consciousness and a #concussion. Certainly out for the game. So sad. pic.twitter.com/e6wYIDVaZa

— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 13, 2024