Football Fans Irate After Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa Allowed to Keep Playing Despite Scary Head Hit: ‘NFL, What Are We Even Doing?’

Joe DePaoloSep 25th, 2022, 3:40 pm
 

Football fans are calling out the NFL after a prominent quarterback was allowed to return to action following a scary hit to the head.

During the second quarter of the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills game on Sunday, Miami signal caller Tua Tagovailoa took a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Tagovailoa was knocked backwards, and his head slammed violently against the turf, as a result of the hit. The Dolphins quarterback then tried to get up, but immediately stumbled back down, and appeared to be clearly shaken up.

“Oh, he’s woozy,” CBS announcer Kevin Harlan said, describing the frightening moment. Then, after Tagovailoa stumbled back down, Harlan exclaimed, “Oh my goodness!”

Tagovailoa was removed from the game for the remainder of the second quarter. But stunningly, the Dolphins quarterback returned to action after the halftime break.

The NFL’s handling of players who appear to be concussed has come under heavy scrutiny in the years following its landmark $765 million settlement with retired players. The league instituted a concussion protocol, which all players must pass before returning to the field.

Fans were puzzled as to how Tagovailoa could have possibly passed his examination. The league came under fire from observers on social media for allowing the Dolphins quarterback to return:

NFL Network correspondent Ian Rapoport reports that Tagovailoa had actually hurt his back earlier in the game, and it was that injury — not a blow to the head — which caused his to stumble.

But numerous observers were highly skeptical, to say the least:

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Joe DePaolo - Senior Editor

Joe DePaolo is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: joed@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @joe_depaolo