Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is NOT in the concussion protocol despite apparent head injury

Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has no concussion protocol, according to coach Mike McDaniel, despite concerns he may have suffered a head injury when he was knocked to the grass in the second quarter of Miami’s win over Buffalo on Sunday.

Tagovailoa and McDaniel both said after the game that it was a back injury that gave the third-year quarterback problems. And McDaniel reiterated on Monday that Tagovailoa’s back and ankle are “painful”, but the team will know more after he undergoes further testing.

McDaniel did not promise whether Tagovailoa would play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.

“It’s my first time on a Thursday night with Tua, so I’m not assuming anything,” McDaniel said. “But it wasn’t beyond the extreme norm of bumps and bruises after a game.”

Tagovailoa was punched by Bills linebacker Matt Milano and appeared disoriented as he got back to his feet. The Dolphins originally said it was a head injury and Tagovailoa missed Miami’s last three snaps of the first half. He returned to start the third quarter.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins lays on the grass during the second quarter

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (right) has no concussion, according to coach Mike McDaniel (left), after he appeared to hit his head in Miami’s win over Buffalo

Tagovailoa described the incident on Sunday and said it exacerbated his back injury.

“During the quarterback sneak, my legs got caught under someone and they tried to push back and it felt like I was stretching my back a little bit or something,” Tagovailoa told reporters after helping to make it 3-0 on the grid. year to improve. “On the next part, I hit my back a little… that’s where I tripped.”

Tagovailoa said he went through “the concussion protocol they had,” adding, “I’m fine.”

However, Chris Nowinski, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist and critic of concussion treatment in the NFL, disagreed with that explanation on Twitter.

“I’m bulls*** on the ”back tweak theory”,” Nowinski tweeted. ‘Watch the video. Tua shakes his head several times to “remove the cobwebs,” which is a specific sign of vision impairment after #concussion. He also wobbles when getting up before falling. His return is a failure @NFL.

Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist and critic of concussion treatment in the NFL, took issue with Tagovailoa’s explanation of “back injury” on Twitter

Tagovailoa’s swift return has sparked skepticism, and the NFL and National Football League Players Association said they are conducting a joint review of the decision to allow Tagovailoa back into the game.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk gave a sneak peek of the judging process on Sunday.

“Now the NFL Players Association has already launched an investigation,” Florio told NBC. “The union and union will work together and talk to the doctors, and they will come to a conclusion as to whether the policy has been followed.

“It takes a week or two and if they disagree, there can be a complaint or arbitration, but according to the concussion protocol, they’ve always come to an agreement on whether or not the policy was followed. We’ll see if that was the case here.’

Tagovailoa completed 13 of 18 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown and no turnover

NFL rule requires a player to undergo in-game evaluations if he has a possible concussion. Those evaluations involve team medical personnel, as well as an unaffiliated neurotrauma counselor.

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was acquitted by the team and the independent neurologist before coming back into the game.

McDaniel added that the team is happy to comply with the investigation and pleased with the process it followed on Sunday. He said the Dolphins wouldn’t have moved “in the direction we were going if there had been some sort of red flag.”

“I don’t get involved in that,” he said. “Tua got really annoyed with me during the game when I talked to him because he knew what hurt and didn’t understand why people kept talking to him about what we were talking about.”

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is assisted off the field in the first half