Connor Dullinger
Week 4 of the 2022-2023 NFL season started with a big controversy.
With 6 minutes left in the second quarter of a highly anticipated Thursday night matchup between the undefeated Miami Dolphins and the reigning AFC Champions Cincinnati Bengals, Dolphins quarterback, and former 5th overall pick, Tua Tagovailoa was sacked and slammed down to the ground by Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou. Immediately following the hit Tagovailoa lay motionless on the field with his arms rigid and his fingers curled in which is a position known as a “fencing response,” Tagovailoa was quickly stretchered off the field and taken in an ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
The controversy, though, occurred the Sunday before the Thursday Night game. In the first half of a Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Bills inside linebacker Matt Milano shoved Tagovailoa causing his head to bounce against the turf. After being hit Tagovailoa had trouble walking and fell back down. He was then escorted to the locker room by two trainers. After going into the locker room the Dolphins announced that Tagovailoa was questionable to return with a head injury but after clearing the concussion protocol Tagovailoa returned for the second half and finished the game. Despite his head hitting the turf, the initial ruling of a head injury, and the fact that he had to clear the concussion protocol Tua and Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel were insistent that Tagovailoa suffered a back injury in the game against the Bills and not a head injury.
"And then on the next play I kind of hit my back and then I got back up and then that's kind of like why I stumbled,” Tagovailoa said. “My back kind of locked up on me. But for the most part, you know, I'm good, past whatever concussion protocol they had." McDaniel was adamant that Tagovailoa had suffered a back injury and not a concussion.
"For me as long as I'm coaching here, I'm not going to fudge that whole situation," McDaniel said in a press conference. "If there's any sort of inclination of someone that has a concussion and they go into concussion protocol and it's very strict. If people don't vary or astray, we don't mess with that. As long as I'm the head coach that won't be an issue that you guys have to worry about."
Despite Tagovailoa and McDaniel's insistence that Tua did not suffer a concussion or head injury during the game against the Bills, the NFLPA and fans begged to differ.
"Our job as the NFLPA is to take every possible measure to get the facts and hold those responsible accountable,” former Cleveland Browns center and current President of the National Football League Player Association (NFLPA) JC Tretter said. “We need to figure out how and why the decisions were made last Sunday to allow a player with a ‘no-go’ symptom back on the field."
Tretter felt strongly that Tagovailoa should not have been allowed back in the game against the Bills and that Tua displayed ‘no-go’ symptoms which should have prevented him from returning.Others agreed with Tretter that it did not make sense for the Dolphins to let Tua back into the game.
“I think the NFL still has a long way to go with their concussion protocol, and I think there is still a pressure to get back into the game,” NHS Psychology teacher Thomas Pescarmona said. “He [Tua] might’ve been saying that he was okay and could go back into the game, but I still think there needs to be another layer of the doctor saying no you can’t.”
Pescarmona was not the only NHS teacher who thought along these lines
“I think there’s still some discrepancies between what used to happen and what the protocols are now,” Newtown High School Health and Physical Education teacher Jeremy O’Connell said. “Back in the day guys would just get up and say they got their bell rung and they’d go in and play again. Now that we have all of these safety precautions I feel like sometimes people are not in the right mindset of what they should be doing to keep people safe.”
Currently, the NFLPA as well as fans across the nation are in uproar due to the fact that Tagovailoa was cleared by an ‘unaffiliated neurotrauma’ consultant during halftime of the Sunday game against the Bills only for Tagovailoa to be carted off the field four days later in the Thursday night game against the Bengals after sustaining a ‘second’ hit to the head.
Immediately following the game against the Bills, the NFLPA and NFL conducted a joint review to investigate and determine if there was any medical wrongdoing or if the proper protocols were followed. However, pressure was added to the NFLPA, the NFL, and the investigation after Tagovailoa went down on Thursday night.
The NFLPA “exercised its right” and dismissed the independent doctor who cleared Tua to return against the Bills. This decision was made based on the fact that the doctor violated the concussion protocol resulting in a diagnosis that cleared Tagovailoa of a concussion allowing him to play days later against the Bengals. This decision to dismiss the doctor was made two days after Tagovailoa went down in Cincinnati. The NFL and NFLPA also announced that changes to the NFL concussion protocol were going to be made within days so that players exhibiting symptoms like Tagovailoa will not be able to return to play.
Players as well as fans were outraged that Tagovailoa was allowed to play and were also confused as to why it happened.
“This is a disaster. Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staff and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right,” neuroscientist and founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation Chris Nowinski said. “Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022?”
Nowinski as well as others were infuriated as to why Tagovailoa was allowed to play against the Bengals.
“The Dolphins organization, more specifically, Stephen Ross, is selfish. They would rather win games at the cost of potentially ruining a young man’s career,” NHS 21’ Alum and NHS Boys Freshman Soccer coach Adem Selmani said. “He was obviously not fit to play after not being able to stand on his own, there was no reason they should have let him back in.”
Selmani shared a similar response to other NHS students.
“I think the fact that the Dolphins let Tua play is absurd. It is obvious that they do not care about player safety and are putting winning over the value of a players health and future,” NHS Senior Saahil Ray said.
Fortunately, Tagovailoa was able to fly back to Miami with the team after the Dolphins lost to the Bengals 15-27. Tagovailoa currently remains in concussion protocol, but according to Dolphins coaching staff he is making tremendous strides in the recovery process and can hopefully suit up again for the Dolphins in the next several weeks.
Although Tagovailoa is healthy and will be able to return to playing this season it is evident that players and fans want changes to the concussion protocol and other safety rules so incidents like these never happen again.
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