Tua Tagovailoa in Dolphins jerseyTua Tagovailoa (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The NFL has distanced itself from Tua Tagovailoa, announcing that it will not be involved in the decision regarding the Dolphins quarterback’s potential return.

Tua suffered another concussion last month, the third official one of his career. Should he return, it will not be before the Fins play the Cardinals on October 27, given that he was placed on the injured reserve on September 17.

Miami used the IR to give them enough time to go through the league’s concussion protocol and consult outside neurologists. The NFL will not interfere in the decision, having announced as much this Friday while disclosing that there has been a record-low number of concussions around the league this year.

 

“Patient autonomy and medical decision-making really matters,” the NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said, per ESPN. “And I think that’s what we have to recognize goes on with our concussion protocol as well.

“Ultimately when patients make decisions without considering their careers, it has to reflect that autonomy that’s generated from discussions with medical experts giving them best medical advice.” 

The NFL Can’t Determine Risk Of Re-Injury For Tua Tagovailoa Or Anyone Else

The neurosurgeon went on to state that there is no “detailed formula” for predicting concussions for Tua Tagovailoa or anyone else, while medical professionals can only make their “best guess” on future risk.

“So what we end up having to do is look at the totality of the patient’s experience, how many concussions, the interval between those concussions, some about duration of symptoms after each concussion, and then very much the patient’s voice about where they are in their journey, their career, their age and things of that nature.

“And from that, we try as medical professionals to provide our best guess. But that’s really what it is, is a guess at what is someone’s future risk of concussion.”

Tua is expected to return to playing as soon as his mandatory four-game absence is over.

NFL Insider Adam Schefter Provides Important Update On Tua Tagovailoa Amid Calls For Dolphins Quarterback To Retire Following Yet Another Scary Concussion

Tua Tagovailoa wearing Dolphins gearTua Tagovailoa (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Tua Tagovailoa missed another game for the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, given his spot on the injured reserve following yet another concussion.

Tua appeared to display a fencing response after a collision with Damar Hamlin that knocked him to the ground during the third quarter of Miami’s loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

There have been calls for the Fins quarterback to prioritize his health and retire, considering the regularity with which he gets concussed, with this latest one the third official one of his career. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter has suggested that he is only a few weeks away from a return.

Tua Tagovailoa Is Expected Back On The Field After His Four Games On The IR Are Up

Schefter, who discussed Tagovailoa’s ordeal on ‘Monday Night Countdown’ before the Dolphins played the Tennessee Titans last night, claimed the QB was symptom-free and nearing a return to the field.

“He has been meeting with neurologists, and I don’t believe that anybody’s told him anything right now to dissuade him from wanting to play,” the insider said.

“There is a feeling here that he is bound to come back. For all the talk there was about Tua Tagovailoa and how he should stop playing and retire, the fact of the matter is that when his four games are up on injured reserve that he’s going to be back in the Miami Dolphins’ lineup. 

“There’s a real possibility that he’s going to be back that soon. At the very least, he seems intent on continuing his NFL career sooner rather than later.”

While he wasn’t in action for Miami during the loss that left them with a 1-3 record, Tua Tagovailoa was at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night to cheer his teammates on.