Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered another concussion during his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo, is scheduled to meet early this week with neurologists, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Tagovailoa will be seeking their input into the severity of his latest concussion and the cumulative effect of the ones that he has suffered in the past to make the most informed possible decision about his future, the source said.
Tagovailoa sustained a hit to the head during Thursday night’s loss, when he lowered his shoulder into Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa’s helmet made forcible contact with Hamlin’s arm, prompting a fencing response as a stunned crowd at Hard Rock Stadium let out a collective gasp. Tagovailoa remained on the field for several minutes, but was able to walk off the field and into the locker room under his own power.
He was almost immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion.
Tagovailoa was diagnosed with two concussions during the 2022 season and took a third hit to the head that led to the NFL altering its concussion protocol, specifically with how they’re reported and evaluated.
Counting his final season at Alabama, Tagovailoa has four diagnosed concussions in the past five years. Playing for the Crimson Tide in 2019, he was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose on the same play in which he infamously suffered a hip dislocation and fracture of the posterior wall of his hip socket.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spoke to local media Friday morning and said he is not focused on Tagovailoa’s return to football. As his quarterback left the field Thursday night, McDaniel told him to focus on his family for the time being.
McDaniel also implored fans and media to allow Tagovailoa to focus on his health before discussing the possibility of his return or retirement.
“You’re talking about his career – his career is his,” he said. “I just wish that people would for a second hear what I’m saying, that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him. So, I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care that that should be the last thing on your mind.”
ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.
