The NFL world was rocked on Monday by the revelation that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had suffered yet another concussion in his team's Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
For Tua, it was at least his second concussion of the season, and very likely his third.
But this time, the news caught many journalists and fans off guard, because Tua never left the Packers game, never absorbed an obviously crushing hit, and didn't appear to display gross motor instability or any other classic symptom of concussion.
However, on Monday afternoon, ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted out a video that shows the play in which Tua was injured.
It seems to have happened late in the second quarter, with Tua being tripped up from behind by Packers linebacker Kingsley Inagbare. Tua didn't seem to see Inagbare or expect the hit, and therefore was unable to brace himself while going down. His head appeared to bounce off turf of Hard Rock Stadium.
Tua was injured earlier this season on similar plays.
In Week 3, against the Bills, Tua appeared to be out on his feet after he was pushed backward by Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano, with the back of his helmet snapping against the turf. Milano was flagged for roughing on the play.
Just four days later in Cincinnati, Tua was stretchered off the field after he was spun around and slammed down onto the artificial surface at Paycor Stadium by Bengals tackle Josh Tupou. Once again, the injury appeared to be the result of the back of Tua's head bouncing off the turf.
In the first incident, against the Bills, Tua's injury was not deemed a concussion, but rather a back ailment. He exited the game briefly but was cleared to return, prompting concern from journalists and fans, and ultimately leading to a change in the league's concussion protocol, such that any player exhibiting gross motor instability would automatically be ruled out for the remainder of that game.
On Sunday, Tua played the balance of the game after being injured, but "displayed and admitted to having concussion symptoms when he spoke with team doctors doctors on Monday," according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com.
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