Concussion expert reacts to Tua Tagovailoa injury, blasts Dolphins medical staff

When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals on a stretcher, criticism rolled in about the decision to start him in the game. One concussion expert weighed in — and blasted the Dolphins in the process.

Chris Nowinski, founder of the Boston University CTE Center and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, tweeted about the potential impact of the big hit, which occurred in the second quarter. Just four days ago, Tagovailoa left Miami’s game against the Buffalo Bills when he struggled to stand up following a big hit. But he returned, and speculation started about a potential concussion despite the team saying it was a back injury.

When Tagovailoa left Thursday night, Nowinski didn’t hold back with his thoughts about the impact of the hit.

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“This is a disaster,” Nowinski tweeted. “Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staffs and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022.”

That tweet came more than five hours after Nowinski initially tweeted about the decision to let Tagovailoa play Thursday night, just four days after the hit against Buffalo. He predicted the former Alabama star would take the brunt of a big hit, adding what could come next if it happened.

“If Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL,” Nowinski wrote nearly three hours before kickoff. “If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn’t right.”

The Dolphins announced Tagovailoa suffered head and neck injuries, but was conscious and had full movement of his extremities. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati’s medical center, which is a Level I trauma center.

Al Michaels said on the Amazon TNF broadcast that the finger contortions are a result of “neurological response to head trauma,” citing a medical expert he spoke with during the commercial break.

Tagovailoa completed 8 of 14 passes for 110 yards and threw one interception in the first quarter and a half of action. Teddy Bridgewater then took over for Tagovailoa at quarterback and led the Dolphins on a scoring drive heading into halftime.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.