Miami Dolphin’s quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a terrifying concussion Thursday night, leaving fans and even football staff more concerned than ever.
During Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa ran head-first into Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin. Ironically, Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest incident in January 2023. This incident was indeed in the back of viewers’ minds when Tagovailoa dropped to the ground after the hit. After several moments on the ground, Tagovailoa was able to stand up and walk off the field. However, he was later diagnosed with a concussion, the third one of his professional career.
Tagovailoa suffered his first confirmed NFL concussion during the 2022 season against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. However, team doctors later deemed the concussion to be a back ailment, and he returned to the field shortly after. The NFL fired the neurologist who pushed to clear Tagovailoa. That same year, he suffered his second concussion in Week 16, leading to his absence from the last two games of the season. Now, with this severe third head injury, many are urging the 26-year-old to put his health first.
One of these people pushing for him to hang up his cleats is Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
“I’ll be honest, I’ll just tell him to retire. It’s not worth it…I haven’t witnessed anything like I’ve seen that’s happened to him three times. Scary, you can see right away the players’ faces on the field. You can see the sense of urgency from everybody to get Tua help. I just think at some point, he’s going to live longer than he’s gon’ play football. Take care of your family,” Pierce advised during a press conference.
Tagovailoa has not yet spoken out about his latest concussion. As of now, there is no timeline for his return to the team.
