Tua Tagovailoa won’t dress Sunday when the Dolphins host Minnesota, missing his second consecutive game. However, after getting in limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday, Tagovailoa was upgraded to full participation at Friday’s practice, putting him on track to return against the Steelers in Week 7. For Tagovailoa, the final obstacle was clearing the league’s concussion protocol, which the third-year quarterback successfully did on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Tagovailoa was concussed against the Bengals in Week 4, a game he arguably shouldn’t have been playing in after suffering a similar head injury only days earlier, at one point losing his balance after a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano. The NFL’s mishandling of the situation was the subject of much controversy, prompting the league to overhaul its concussion protocol, preventing players suspected of “gross motor instability” from reentering games.
In response to the Tua debacle, the following week saw a noticeable change in officiating with phantom roughing the passer penalties assessed to both Grady Jarrett and Chris Jones, with ESPN announcer Troy Aikman (who had his career cut short by concussions) infuriated by the latter call, urging the league’s competition committee to “take the dresses off.” Tagovailoa’s replacement, Teddy Bridgewater, was also impacted, spending most of the game as a spectator in spite of passing all his team-administered concussion tests.
While some lamented the changes as an overcorrection, rendering the sport almost unrecognizable from its original form with defenders barely able to breathe on opponents without triggering a whistle, others commended the NFL for taking a long overdue stance in combating the league’s concussion epidemic, protecting players at all costs. Scarred by backlash from Tua’s injury, it remains to be seen whether last week was pure damage control, the NFL’s attempt at righting their past wrongs in one fell swoop, or a new reality for a sport and league that, after years of sweeping player safety under the rug, has arrived at a difficult crossroads.
Tagovailoa’s recovery is obviously great news, though the prospect of suffering a third concussion in the span of one season is objectively terrifying. Some would argue it’s risky, bordering on irresponsible to subject Tua to further punishment after what his brain and body have been through the past several weeks. Tagovailoa is an intelligent enough player to make the necessary adjustments to protect himself, but he’s still undersized for his position, making him uniquely vulnerable to dangerous, potentially career-altering hits. Fans will no doubt be rooting for Tagovailoa when he returns to the Dolphins’ huddle next week at Hard Rock Stadium, but they’ll also be holding their breath, hoping he makes it through four quarters unscathed.
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