Breaking News!!! Tua Tagovailoa Gets Taken Out Of The Game…
Photo Source: Sky Sports
First things first, We all hope Tua Tagovailoa gets well soon. This is one of those moments where you are reminded as an NFL fan just how brutal the game of football can be. Week three, Tagovailoa battled through injury and fought blood, sweat, and tears for a Miami Dolphins victory against the Buffalo Bills. In the second quarter of the week four game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa was viciously brought down to the turf like a ton of bricks on his head and neck at midfield.
This hit was so violent that the stretcher had to be brought out and the camera saw visible paralysis of his hands, which clearly shows neurological damage of Miami’s number one quarterback. He was later brought to the University of Cincinnati hospital trauma center, and it was reported that he received an injury to his head and neck. He would regain consciousness and The Dolphins reported that he was able to move his limbs after being taken off the field.
September 26, against Buffalo, Tagovailoa was able to finish the game after he took a hard shot from Matt Milano. After that hit, he got up, stumbled, and was taken off the field.
The Dolphins said he passed concussion protocol but they received a lot of backlash for letting him finish the game. Tua said at that moment he felt like he hyperextended his back. This made all Miami fans hold their breath as their prized southpaw quarterback was taken off the field. After the game, it was up in the air as to whether Tua would end up playing Thursday night, but nevertheless Miami played him against the Bengals.
The Dolphins said after the game it was his back and ankle that got banged up in week three. Despite this fact, people were quick to point out that he also banged his head up on the play as well.
However, what’s probably the saddest part of this situation is that the Miami Dolphins were willing to risk the health of their star quarterback after this happened. The big question to the Miami staff is this: if Tua was hurt so badly why did you let him start? And play the week three game as well? He came into the game banged up and took a very serious blow against Buffalo.
Why would you risk your star to possibly greater injury? If he is a big asset to the team and you know he is not at 100 percent, give him a rest! Yes, Miami definitely wants to win the game and he would give them the best chance of victory, but you have a good backup in Teddy Bridgewater, a man who has been in the league for quite a while. Yes, he too has had horrific injuries but he has proven with teams like the Panthers, Broncos, and Saints, that when needed, he is capable of getting the job done.
The fact that Miami was willing to take that big of a risk with Tua makes us all question the priorities of the top management and coaching staff, and whether they care about the health of their players.
Former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe said on Twitter. “That’s a serious injury. Tua shouldn’t have been out there with a Sunday-Thursday turn around. Sometimes players need protecting from themselves. The Dolphins failed Tua.” Is he wrong though? Maybe.
Tua probably wanted to play in the worst way, but it’s a terrible shame that Miami was even willing to let him.