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As if the news that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had suddenly landed back in the concussion protocol wasn’t jarring enough, the circumstances regarding Tua’s placement in the protocol raise plenty of questions.
First, despite video showing Tua’s head striking the turf late in the second quarter, coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Monday (when specifically asked about the video) that he wasn’t sure how it happened and that “no one recognized anything with regard to any sort of hit.”
Second, how did Tua end up in the protocol? McDaniel said on Monday that Tua “met with the doctors today and discussed some symptoms and then from that, as you guys know, from there on, that’s between Tua and the doctors and we’ll move forward as information is projected towards us.”
Tua met with the doctors. Fine. But how did the meeting come to be? Did Tua initiate it so that he could discuss symptoms? Did the doctors approach him for the meeting after becoming aware of the video on social media? Or do they regularly meet with him after every game in an abundance of caution, given his concussion issues from earlier in the season?
Regardless, it looks as if someone (or multiple someones) failed to notice Tua’s head hitting the turf, or noticed it and failed to act on it. And that potentially hurt the team strategically. The Dolphins scored no points after Tua’s head struck the turf. He threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, arising from bad reads and/or bad decisions. If someone had activated the process of checking Tua and if they had noticed any symptoms of a concussion, the Dolphins may have been better off with Teddy Bridgewater in the second half.
Regardless, it may be Bridgewater on Sunday in New England, with the season on the line. If the Dolphins end up missing the playoffs and if Tua isn’t cleared to play again this year, the offseason will have some new and unexpected questions for the franchise.
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