Good news on the Tua Tagovailoa front.
Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s game between the Dolphins and Bengals in the second quarter after banging his head on the turf while being sacked by Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou, and suffering a concussion.
After being transported to the hospital for further evaluation, Tagovailoa was able to fly back with the team from Cincinnati to Miami.
Friday morning, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Tagovailoa is back “at his home in South Florida, [and] was in ‘good spirits.'”
The report added that Tagovailoa will be undergoing an MRI exam and receiving a second opinion, but that the initial prognosis is that he suffered “no structural damage.”
Tagovailoa’s trainer, Nick Hick, also provided some optimism.
“He is doing well. Negative X Rays. No internal bleeding. Will get MRI and second opinion but all things look good at the moment,” Hicks tweeted.
The NFL’s concussion protocol is coming under considerable scrutiny after Tagovailoa went down and was stretchered off the field on Thursday.
On Sunday against the Bills, Tagovailoa was wobbly and collapsed after his head forcibly struck the ground on a hit. He was cleared to return to the game and was given the medical go-ahead for the Thursday night Bengals tilt.
The NFLPA has promised to use “every legal option” to investigate the matter.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that Tagovailoa “wasn’t the same guy that I’m used to seeing” after he suffered the concussion on Thursday night.
