Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is in ‘good spirits’ after being released from a Cincinnati hospital

Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is reportedly back in Florida in ‘good cheer’ after being released from a Cincinnati hospital on Thursday night after suffering a concussion in the Dolphins’ loss to the Bengals.

He is expected to undergo an MRI and wear a neck brace as a precaution after being torn on the grass by 6-foot-3, 340-pound Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou.

Initial tests have revealed no structural damage, a source told ESPN, but he has been diagnosed with a concussion. The good news is that he never lost feeling in his limbs.

“When I talk to him this morning, he still feels some of those headaches. He’s doing his MRI now and we’ll find out the results of that — it’s an extra precaution on top of CT scans and X-rays,” head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday. .

McDaniel declined to provide a timetable for Tagovailoa’s return.

“What’s lost in all of this is human relationships,” McDaniel said. “These are not just any players, they are people we invest in together, someone with whom I have grown very, very close. When it comes to head injuries and concussions, things that serve, the only thing I worry about is the person. I’m concerned that he will be healthy, that all the tests will be done and that we will work with him and that we will feel good where the injury is. We still have a long way to go, but we haven’t thought about that yet.’

McDaniel’s comments came as he and team doctors were criticized for Tagovailoa’s inclusion in Thursday’s game, four days after he appeared to sustain a head injury in Sunday’s win over Buffalo in Miami. Tagovailoa was not diagnosed with a concussion after that blow, but he and the team say he has aggravated a back injury.

McDaniel was asked if Tagovailoa would return this year, but the Dolphin Coach again declined to offer a timetable: “I would feel irresponsible there – even if I think about it.”

Tagovailoa was allowed to return on Sunday despite stumbling to the ground and continuing to struggle even after getting back on his feet. Teammates had to help keep the 24-year-old Hawaiian upright before he was taken out of the game just before half time

Members of the Miami Dolphins surround quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) as he is carted off the field after a first-half hit against the Cincinnati Bengals

On Thursday evening, Tagovailoa was taken off the field in Cincinnati on a stretcher after his head hit the turf on Tupou’s goal. The former Alabama star appeared to grab on almost immediately after the blow as his hands froze in an unnatural position.

After that, Dolphins freshman coach Mike McDaniel revealed that Tagovailoa called him after he went down.

“I could tell it wasn’t the same man I was used to seeing,” McDaniel said. “It was a scary moment. He was assessed for a concussion. He’s on concussion protocol, but he’s getting fired.

“It’s an emotional moment. It’s not part of the deal you’re signing up for. His teammates and I were very concerned, but he’s been checked and it’s nothing more serious than a concussion.”

Thursday’s terrifying injury comes just four days after a similar scene in Miami, where Tagovailoa left Sunday’s game against the visiting Buffalo Bills with an obvious head injury, only to return to lead the Dolphins to an upset victory.

Afterwards, Tagovailoa and the team both claimed he didn’t have a concussion, but was instead dealing with an aggravated back injury.

On Friday, McDaniel acknowledged his quarterback’s concerns, insisting that he would not have played Thursday if the team believed he was dealing with a concussion from week three.

“I fully understand the concern, appreciate the concern,” McDaniel said. “If I tell you that apart from an eyeball test, he didn’t have a head injury. He was evaluated for having a head injury [on Sunday] and he had none. He was in a full mental concert, he played the whole game, did a press conference, did media all week.

“If I turned someone against medical people for a medical issue, when would I play him abstract again?” asked McDaniel rhetorically.

“I get the optics, I get what it looks like, I get all this, I get people’s concerns,” he continued. “I can radiate with 100 percent conviction that every person in this building had 100 percent right process, dedication and there is not one person in the building you could talk to who would think differently.”

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) gets help off the field after being injured during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday