After a scary hit that had Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa taken off the field by stretcher, the NFL’s concussion protocol was under fire. A week before the incident during a game against the Buffalo Bills, he came into contact with a linebacker during the second quarter. He fell backward which resulted in him hitting his head on the ground. When he stood up, he was very wobbly and ended up falling to the ground trying to jog on the field. He then had to be escorted to the locker room to get check out. After the incident, they declared him not concussed and able to play for the second half even though he clearly wasn’t in a good state.
Only four days after the first incident, the Dolphins traveled to Cincinnati, in which another very scary play occurred again in the second quarter. This was the hit that had Tagovailoa taken off the field. Flash forward to today, the NFL has stated that Tagovailoa is still in concussion protocol after he reported having concussion-like symptoms after the loss against the Packers on Christmas Day. Since December 26th, he still remains there and therefor will not be able to play in the Pro Bowl.
Like many, many people, I wondered how could the NFL just let him go back in after he clearly wasn’t stable? After the handling of his week 4 injury, everyone was looking into how the league handles protocols. This series of events is exposing the NFL of how they really handle player’s injuries. To many diehard fans, they want their team to win. Losing your starting qb isn’t ideal. But is his life and career really worth sacrificing to win a game?
The NFL and NFL Players Association released a statement on the investigation about his concussion protocol. In the statement, they stated that he suffered an ankle injury earlier in the game and that is what caused him to stumble. The NFL and NFLPA both stated that the outcome of the case was not what was intended when the protocols were drafted. The reason the protocol was added was to help keep players safe. Yet, even with it in place, there was still injury and, in this case, an extreme one.
The way the NFL went about this resulted in a lot of backlash. And honestly, rightfully so. Fans and media called for firings of the staff that allowed him to play in the first place. Outrage from the community poured in as everyone was sick that he was permitted to play at all. Even though he was cleared, that doesn’t mean he was 100% healthy and ready to play. This is a real wake-up call for them, and if they don’t take players health more seriously, this could happen again.
Player’s health and safety need to be one of, if not the, top priority of the league. Anyone who is an athlete knows how important it is to be healthy. And while it sucks to be out of a game, in the long run it’ll benefit them more versus going out again and immediately playing. While the image of the NFL is normally positive, this scary call is calling them out and making it known that there needs to be a change. Regardless of what team you’re a fan of, everyone is wishing that Tua gets the full recovery he needs and hopefully the NFL will change their ways.
