BALTIMORE — In his nearly four decades of coaching, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he’s never seen anything like what happened to Tua Tagovailoa during Thursday Night Football.
The Miami Dolphins quarterback was thrown to the ground with just under six minutes left in the second quarter and suffered a concussion, the camera catching the frightening sight of Tagovailoa holding his fingers in front of his eyes as if he was unable to control them.
Tagovailoa was stretchered from the field and taken to an area hospital with head and neck injuries. Doctors released him Thursday night and he was able to fly home with the team, according to reports.
The injuries came just four days after Tagovailoa appeared to show multiple concussion symptoms after a hit in the Dolphin’s game against the Buffalo Bills, such as shaking his head to clear the cobwebs and wobbling. He was cleared to return after halftime with what was later described as a back injury.
“Like probably most people, I couldn’t believe what I saw last night. I couldn’t believe what I saw last Sunday,” Harbaugh said. “It was just something that was astonishing to see.”
Harbaugh said players will push to get back on the field after a head injury.
“And sometimes you have to tell them ‘no,’ you have to say ‘no,'” he said. “‘No’ has got to be the answer.”
Wide receiver Devin Duvernay was concussed during the Week 2 game against the Dolphins. Prior to that, he opened up the contest with a 103-yard kickoff return and caught two passes for 42 yards. He did not return to the field.
Speaking Friday, Harbaugh said Duvernay didn’t exhibit many symptoms.
“But he was out. He was out for the game and he was out most of the week,” he said.
Duvernay was not a full participant in practice until the following Friday.
On the biggest stage, Harbaugh sat Lamar Jackson during the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in 2021 after the quarterback was driven to the ground.
“I’m not frustrated at all. He was in the concussion protocol. He had a concussion and was ruled out with a concussion. That’s where it stands,” Harbaugh said after the game.
Speaking Friday, Harbaugh said the team waits until players are “ready in their minds” to return from other injuries, a likely reference to the lengthy rehab that has caused cornerback Marcus Peters and left tackle Ronnie Stanley to miss some playing time.
Peters is back in action after missing all of the 2021 season with a torn ACL. Stanley is close to returning to the field after being limited to only one game over the last two seasons due to multiple ankle injuries.
“The game’s too hard, the game’s too tough” for a player to take the field when he’s not confident in his own ability to protect himself and play well, Harbaugh said.
Executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta, team owner Steve Bisciotti and the team’s doctor’s are supportive of this approach to injuries, Harbaugh said.
“I just appreciate our docs,” he said. “I think they probably would call themselves conservative, but that’s what they should be.”