Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is set to be interviewed in the coming days as part of the NFL and NFLPA’s investigation into his injury from last Sunday’s game against the Bills, according to ESPN.
Four days before he suffered a scary concussion on “Thursday Night Football” against the Bengals, the 24-year-old Tagovailoa shook his head and stumbled after his head hit the field. Tagovailoa was allowed to return to the game against Buffalo, a decision under great scrutiny after he was stretchered off on Thursday. Tagovailoa’s head hit the ground hard on a hit by the Bengals’ Josh Tupou and the quarterback went into the “fencing” response, with his fingers flexing in an unnatural position.
Tagovailoa was cleared to return to the game against the Bills by a Dolphins team doctor and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, with the team later saying Tagovailoa had a back injury. The NFLPA fired the neurotrauma consultant on Saturday after the consultant was found to have committed “several mistakes” in evaluating Tagovailoa, per ESPN.
The league and union announced in a joint statement on Saturday that changes to the concussion protocol will be made soon. ESPN reported that the changes will include players being barred from returning to games if they “demonstrate any instability,” and that the change could be in place before Week 5.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has said Tagovailoa did not suffer a head injury last Sunday against the Bills.
“There was no medical indication from all resources that there was anything regarding the head,” McDaniel said Friday. “If there would have been, of course, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I prematurely put someone out there.”
According to ESPN, the NFL and NFLPA’s probe could continue for another week or two, with their findings to be announced “almost immediately after.”