Rejoice, Miami fans. Under third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins have started their season 3-0 for the second time since 2014. That's the good news. The bad news is the NFLPA plans to investigate how the team handled their quarterback after a violent hit that left Tagovailoa stumbling.
Spoiler alert: the aftermath of the hit is alarming.
Teddy Bridgewater stepped in with 2:19 left in the half as Tagovailoa made his way to the locker room for a medical evaluation.
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The NFLPA will investigate the Dolphins' use of concussion protocol with Tua Tagovailoa, but what does it all mean?
Tagovailoa briefly left the ballgame, but that isn't what the NFLPA is concerned about. Under the league's concussion protocol, any player who displays 'gross motor instability' is ineligible to return unless the team physician, in agreement with the sideline UNC (unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant), determines the player's instability to not be neurologically caused.
Miami's medical team concluded that the stumbling was not neuroligically based, and Tagovailoa later returned to the contest.
But that doesn't explain why the NFLPA is getting involved. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero had us covered on that one.
"Under the 2020 CBA, the NFLPA, NFL Management Council or any player has the right (independently or collectively) to bring forward a complaint about an alleged failure to follow concussion protocol, to be investigated and resolved by the union and management council."
Per Ian Rapoport, Pelissero's partner at NFL Network, the stumbling from Miami's quarterback was thought to have stemmed from a back injury Tagovailoa suffered in the first quarter. However, the Dolphins stated that their QB was questionable to return with a head injury.
The NFLPA will do their due diligence to see if that's indeed the case. A statement should be made in the coming days, but for now, we will wait to see what happens.
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