Hardrock Stadium went silent as Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa lay on the ground near the end zone with almost 10 staffers hovering over him.
It was dawning on everyone in the building that Tua had, indeed, suffered the third documented concussion of his career. And it looked just as terrifying as the others.
He suffered the head injury while diving headfirst into the arm of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during Thursday night’s game. Tagovailoa then spent a minute or two on the gound before sitting up and eventually walking to the sideline with caoch Mike McDaniel. Tagovailoa then continued with the trainers to the locker room.
Tua suffered two documented concussions during the 2022 season and the Dolphins elected to shut him down for the end of the season after his second.
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It’s a terrible coincidence that Hamlin, the tackler, experienced his own medical emergency when he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field and had to be resuscitated.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins were trailing 31-10 when he left in the third quarter. He was 17 of 25 for 145 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He had also taken a sack and three quarterback hits.
This offseason, Tua and the Dolphins agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract.
The quarterback also lost weight this offseason in hopes of unlocking mobility and elusiveness in the pocket. But that came with the added risks of injury.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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