NFL Fans Loved Mike McDaniel's Sweet Gesture to Tua Tagovailoa After QB's Injury

Tom Dierberger | Sep 13, 2024

McDaniel has coached Tagovailoa for the last three seasons since the Dolphins hired him in 2022. / Photo by Megan Briggs / Getty Images

One could hear a pin drop inside Hard Rock Stadium when Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down in the third quarter of the Dolphins' 31–10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Scrambling to move the chains on fourth-and-4, Tagovailoa took a hit to the head by Bills safety Damar Hamlin and went down to the ground, showing signs of a potential head injury. Sure enough, the Dolphins officially ruled him out with a concussion several minutes later.

As Tagovailoa walked off the field on his own accord, Miami coach Mike McDaniel strolled right at his side. And before the two parted ways, McDaniel leaned over and gave Tagovailoa a kiss on the forehead.

I feel so bad for Tua but Mike McDaniel kissing him on the noggin is one of the best NFL interactions I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/vyNJ52uVAt

— daddie (@omadisonn) September 13, 2024

"My thought was concern. I was just worried about my guy," McDaniel told reporters after the game. "It's not something that you ever want to be a part of. You hope not to.

"For me, I'm not worried about anything that's out of my hands. I'm just worried about the human being."

McDaniel and Tagovailoa have been joined at the hip since the 41-year-old coach took over the Dolphins in 2022. At the time of McDaniel's hiring, Tagovailoa's NFL future looked uncertain after a shaky first two seasons under center. But he took a step forward in '22, and Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards across 17 games in '23.

NFL fans appreciated seeing McDaniel's loving gesture to his quarterback:

That is what TRUE masculinity looks like. Mike McDaniel kissing Tua’s head after that hit. Prayers for Tua 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/TCmpvodZEo

— Haven Wolfe (@havenwwolfe) September 13, 2024

This just made me a big Mike McDaniel fan https://t.co/2jBMhBK0uo

— Colby Taylor (@Colby_taylor91) September 13, 2024

I got respect for McDaniels for that he love his players https://t.co/CosYrZ26re

— BiG RuBE 🥶 (@DorseyRuben2) September 13, 2024

Respect right here. This guy's loves his team https://t.co/K2xk7k5x5k

— KG (@TheRealKalebGi1) September 13, 2024

God bless Tua and praying for his health.

This is one of the purest football moments you’ll ever see at any level.

Pure love for his players from Mike McDaniel. pic.twitter.com/s0DyDoVJmM

— 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙨🐬 (@FinsPhanatics) September 13, 2024