Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is back on national television Monday for the first time since suffering his fourth diagnosed concussion.
Expect plenty of concussion discourse during the game broadcast when the Dolphins visit the Los Angeles Rams on ESPN — even if it’s not particularly fair to Tua.
Others in the league suffered more traumatic brain injuries. But Tagovailoa has become the poster child for the NFL‘s concussion problem because of the high-profile nature of the position he plays and the high-profile nature of the games in which they have occurred.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Concussion History Predates Miami Dolphins Tenure
Tagovailoa’s first diagnosed concussion was actually a small subplot to a much larger injury story.
Tagovailoa was a junior at Alabama when a major injury abruptly ended his sensational college career five years ago this week.
While scrambling to extend a play in a blowout win over Mississippi State, Tagovailoa was brought down awkwardly by two Bulldogs defenders. The tackle wrecked his body. Tua suffered a hip dislocation, a posterior wall fracture, a bloody nose, and a concussion on the play.
Tua’s injury required surgery and a lengthy recovery. The hip issue, but not the concussion, was believed to have contributed to Tagovailoa’s slide to fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Before the injury, Tagovailoa was a potential No. 1 pick.
How Many Concussions Has Tua Sustained?
Concussion No. 2 | Week 4, 2022 Season
Of all Tagovailoa’s injuries — and there have been many in the last eight years — none was as scary and jarring as when he slammed the back of his head on the turf on a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals in September 2022.
Tagovailoa got hurt while trying to extend a play. That extra time in the backfield allowed linebacker defensive tackle Josh Tupou to whip him violently to the ground.
Immediately, it was clear that Tagovailoa was seriously hurt. He involuntarily went into a fencing response, which is often a sign a person has been knocked out cold.
Tagovailoa was immobilized and taken by ambulance to a local hospital. He was later cleared and allowed to fly home with the team but missed the next two games.
It was this injury that not only made him synonymous with concussions but actually changed the NFL’s policy.
Four days prior, had visible signs of a potential concussion, including ataxia (loss of gross motor skills), after a similar hit in a game against the Bills. The Dolphins cleared him to return to the game and to play in the next one against the Bengals.
But under the new rules, any player who demonstrates ataxia is considered to have suffered a concussion and must clear the protocol.
Concussion No. 3 | Week 16, 2022 Season
Tagovailoa started and finished the Dolphins’ Christmas Day 2022 loss to the Green Bay Packers but developed symptoms the following day.
It’s still unclear how Tagovailoa was concussed, but most believe he again hit the back of his head while trying to extend a play.
While completing a dump-off pass to Durham Smythe late in the first half, Tagovailoa was spun around and down.
Tagovailoa would not play again that season. He remained in the concussion protocol for more than two months, missing both the Dolphins’ playoff game and the Pro Bowl.
Concussion No. 4 | Week 2, 2024 Season
Tua’s most recent concussion was both similar and different from those that came before it.
It was similar in that it occurred in primetime (in a loss to the Buffalo Bills).
It was similar in that he initiated the hit. He lowered his head into Bills safety Damar Hamlin and again exhibited the fencing posture when he went to the ground.
The Dolphins placed Tagovailoa on injured reserve in the following days, keeping him out the next four games to allow his brain the time it needed to heal.
During his month-long absence from the field, he met with team and independent specialists, all of whom told him it was safe to resume his career.
Despite his injury history and the knowledge that the next one would likely end his season, if not his career, Tagovailoa insisted that he doesn’t think about the risk while playing.
“I’m a football player,” Tua said. “… If you have any of those thoughts, I think that’s when it’s time to call it, man. So go out there, just enjoy it. Enjoy being out there, enjoy that opportunity. I love it. I just love football and being out there with our guys.”