Tua Concussion: Lot of Questions, Few Answers

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel's answer to one basic question Wednesday opened the door to a lot more.

It came when he confirmed that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did indeed sustain a concussion during the Dolphins' 26-20 loss against the Green Bay Packers at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

From a football standpoint, the biggest question obviously is: When could Tua be back in the Dolphins lineup? Will he be back this season? Will he ever be back or retire out of concern for his long-term well-being?

McDaniel wanted no part of trying to answer those questions, and kudos to him because Tua's playing status does and should always take a back seat to his health.

It's completely understandable for Dolphins fans, who were dreaming of a Super Bowl when the team was 8-3 and now are watching the team struggle to the finish line to the point where even just making the playoffs is no guarantee, to focus on Tua as the quarterback.

But that is absolutely secondary to everything else and McDaniel absolutely is right in not offering predictions or guesses because it's a fluid and most definitely delicate situation.

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THE TUA CONCUSSION TIMELINE

The next-biggest question surrounds the events of Sunday, most specifically how it was that Tua remained in the game after being tackled to the ground by a Green Bay defender after a completion and the TV cameras clearly catching his head hitting the surface of Hard Rock Stadium with some force.

The NFL and NFLPA have launched a joint review of the episode at Hard Rock Stadium to make sure the proper concussion protocols were followed, according to ESPN Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques.

Statement from the NFL on their joint review with the NFLPA of the application of concussion protocol in regard to Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa: pic.twitter.com/KGxT4R2MGM
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) December 28, 2022

The NFL's chief medical officer, Allen Sills, told NFL Network on Tuesday that everything was handled properly during the game because Tua didn't exhibit any ataxia or motor skill issues after the second-quarter play and contact to the head by itself isn't enough to remove a player from the game or have him evaluated for a concussion.

Sills said it does happen for athlete to start experiencing concussion symptoms hours or even days after the fact.

Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter against Green Bay, after his head made contact with the ground, and McDaniel said Wednesday he noticed some inconsistencies on film the next day in terms of how Tua normally operates.

“The day after the game – it was on Monday – there was some, upon reviewing the film, we had some questions," McDaniel said. "Kind of feel like we had an idea that there was, ‘Hey, did something happen to this portion of the game?’ We questioned him. Once we got really – we continued to question him – and once we get some information back, we’re like, you need to go see the see the doctor. So to say with absolute certainty that it was this, that or otherwise; it was just there were some things that caused us to really prod and as a result, we felt like he needed to see medical professionals.”

Of course, the question then becomes: If McDaniel noticed things on film that didn't seem right, that would seem to suggest that Tua wasn't feeling his normal self, and if that were the case, how was it that no teammate or coach on the staff noticed anything? And then why would Tua not have said anything to anyone at the time if something wasn't right physically?

And, sure, we get it, Tua is a competitor who wants to win, but since we're making the point that his long-term health should take precedence, shouldn't that be the first priority for him too? Even more so?

Those are all questions, but none are as significant as to what's in store for Tua's football future, both in the short and the long term?

And that decision belongs squarely on the shoulders of Tua and there should be no timetable as to when he makes it.

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