Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist and author who’s an expert on concussions, offered a stern warning Thursday regarding Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Unfortunately, the ominous message turned out to be prophetic.
Nowinski cautioned before Miami’s Week 4 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals that Tagovailoa playing Thursday night would represent a “massive step back” for concussion care in the NFL. Tagovailoa smacked his head off the ground Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and stumbled after returning to his feet, leading many to wonder whether he suffered a head injury, but the third-year QB returned to the Week 3 game, later blaming his fall on a back issue despite the questionable optics.
“If Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL,” Nowinski tweeted Thursday afternoon. “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.”
Tagovailoa started Thursday night, much to Nowinski’s chagrin, and in a cruel twist of fate, suffered a horrifying injury after again slamming his head off the field. The devastating blow appeared to knock Tagovailoa unconscious, with the 24-year-old’s fingers even stiffening as he lifted his hands.
“This is a disaster. Pray for Tua,” Nowinski tweeted, along with a video of the play. “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.”
Nowinski then added: “I take no pleasure in being right. Pray for Tua. We saw this coming. Get angry. Get involved with @ConcussionLF to make sure the @NFL can’t do this again.”
Nowinski, co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and co-founder of the Boston University CTE Center, wasn’t alone in his passionate plea, as social media was buzzing Thursday night with fans and fellow NFL players wondering why the Dolphins allowed Tagovailoa to play against the Bengals and whether anything could’ve been done differently to protect him from such an unfortunate incident.
Thankfully, the Dolphins revealed a short time later that Tagovailoa was conscious with movement in all his extremities while being taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. And the team announced after the game that Tagovailoa was expected to be discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and fly home with the Dolphins on Thursday night.
Still, it was a terrifying injury, even before you consider what happened to Tua Tagovailoa four days prior. Certainly, some questions now need to be answered, because the writing was on the wall leading up to Thursday’s game.
