The Miami Dolphins have taken a ton of heat for starting Tua Tagovailoa last night after seemingly suffering a concussion just four days prior. But some new details suggest that the Dolphins did their due diligence to ensure he was fit to play.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills spoke to NFL Network’s Judy Battista and explained that the league tested Tagovailoa for concussion symptoms every day since his injury against the Bills on Sunday.
Dr. Sills said that it was an independent neurological expert who cleared Tagovailoa to play. He added that once the review of the situation is done, the full results will be released publicly.
NFL fans aren’t convinced though. Many are pointing out inconsistencies in how the Dolphins approached the Tagovailoa’s apparent concussion initially and are suspicious that the league didn’t act properly.
However, many of the theories that the league and the team didn’t manage Tua Tagovailoa’s health correctly have been debunked.
Ultimately, it’s simply possible that what happened to Tagovailoa was just a poorly timed coincidence. The fact that Tagovailoa was able to leave the hospital the same night as he got his concussion suggests that there wasn’t any Second Impact Syndrome as many fans feared.
Ideally, the Miami Dolphins will exercise an abundance of caution with Tagovailoa moving forward. If that means holding him out of a game or two, so be it.
Will Tua Tagovailoa miss any time after this concussion?