Tua Tagovailoa and the NFL’s Concussion Problem
Football helmet on the ground in a football stadium. Photo by Lucas Andrade on Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/helmet-on-the-ground-2862718/
The National Football League (NFL) and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, are no strangers to scrutiny over the head safety of their players. The league is so familiar with it, in fact, that if you Google “Roger Goodell concussion controversy,” you can find articles over the years discussing this issue. The controversy has become something of a cycle for the league. The cycle tends to unfold as follows: a player suffers a serious head injury, the media covers it extensively, the conversation around player health restarts and then everyone eventually forgets. On Sep. 25, the cycle began anew.
The Buffalo Bills were visiting their division rival Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. All was going well between two exciting and talented teams, up until the end of the first half. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was leading his offense down the field with the clock winding down when he received a hit by Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Tagovailoa hit the ground hard, but was still able to complete the pass he attempted as Milano made contact. What was initially an impressive play under pressure quickly turned scary, as Tagovailoa tried to stand up but found himself stumbling. His teammates ran over to help him stand, and he was eventually brought to the locker room as the first half came to a close. Tagovailoa cleared concussion protocol during halftime and re-entered the game in the second half, leading the Dolphins to a 21-19 win.
However, the story does not end here. The Dolphins had a quick turnaround to their next game, a primetime matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sep. 29. Given that he had cleared concussion protocols that Sunday, Tagovailoa was ready to go for Thursday. In truly horrifying fashion, the 25-year-old quarterback found himself injured yet again. Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou wrapped his arms around Tagovailoa’s waist, and the two spun around until Tupou was able to bring the quarterback down for a sack. But as Tagovailoa went to the ground, the pull from Tupou led to him getting thrown down, and he hit his head on the turf. Unlike the previous Sunday, Tagovailoa did not get up.
His arms seized up to his chest and his fingers curled, both of which are symptoms of fencing. Fencing occurs when an athlete suffers any sort of trauma to the head, and is often a sign of serious head injury. Tagovailoa was sent to a local Cincinnati hospital, but was cleared to fly back to Miami with the team later that evening.
Lots of questions have spiraled around since Tagovailoa's second hit on Sep. 29. People are curious as to how he was cleared to re-enter the Bills-Dolphins matchup after his first hit, and how he was allowed to play just four days after. I spoke with some Marist students and asked for their opinions on the NFL’s handling of the situation. “Tua was stumbling and they still cleared him to play, and other players like Joe Burrow and Jonathan Taylor all had concussions and played through them and were stumbling, and that just puts them further at risk,” said Dan Shea ‘26. Shea brings up a good point here: a lot of the time, it seems like the concussion protocol isn’t effective enough at mitigating head injuries in the NFL. Just because a player enters the protocol doesn’t mean they will receive proper time to recover.
Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the biggest sport in America. The NFL is not just a football league, it is a product. And it seems like fans nationwide just can’t get enough. Just last season, the league expanded its schedule from a 16-game regular season to a 17-game regular season, and by doing so, asked more of the players who already put their bodies on the line for five months a year. The NFL is an absolute titan of entertainment, and will never be truly threatened by something as horrible as Tagovailoa’s injury.
Dr. Bennet Omalu, the man who inspired the 2015 film Concussion about the same subject, implored Tagovailoa to avoid the field after his hit against the Bengals. In a Fox News article, Omalu says, “If you love your life, if you love your family...it’s time to gallantly walk away. Go find something else to do.” Omalu is no slouch when it comes to neurological damage suffered by football players. He is responsible for the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, a brain condition suffered after extended damage or trauma to the head. Safe to say, Dr. Omalu knows what he’s talking about, which makes his warning that much more grim.
What can be done? If you come up with an answer, let me know. It feels impossible to force the NFL to make any real change, as this is not the first time we’ve found ourselves in this situation. Many players have suffered severe head injuries, and while the NFL has made changes over time, like reducing the number of preseason games and limiting the amount of contact in practice, we still find ourselves back at square one. This time, it was Tagovailoa who was the unlucky victim of head trauma. No matter what happens from here, I can’t help but wonder: who’s next?