Discharged from hospital, Tua Tagovailoa is expected to travel with team to Miami

NFL: SEP 29 Dolphins at Bengals
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With plenty of questions still to be answered about why he was even playing tonight, one important question has been resolved. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is OK.

As announced late in the game broadcast, Tagovailoa has been discharged from a local hospital. He is expected to travel back to Miami with the team.

That’s a huge relief, given the troubling images from the aftermath of the head injury he suffered earlier this evening.

Again, given the events from Sunday, there are many questions to be answered. The fact that Tua apparently is and will be fine does not alleviate or diminish those questions. They must be answered. Objectively, dispassionately, and accurately.

49 responses to “Discharged from hospital, Tua Tagovailoa is expected to travel with team to Miami

  1. Well great. Can’t wait to see him back on the field a week from Sunday. Hey why not go ahead and schedule game for this Sunday? It’s only a brain right?

  2. I’d say a second round draft pick and 500k fine should do it. And if he’s allowed to play a week from now they should be fined again. Hopefully he has enough common sense to sit out a game or two.

  3. Eric lindros was cleared to fly when he has punched lung that would have killed him if he didn’t have his dad stop him cos he was in that much pain. The announcers said he spoke with mcdaniels to ask what happened at half time. Surely he should be held over night for safety sake then let to fly for or reasons to cover the dolphins medical staff , McDaniels and the nfl

  4. There is zero reason to discharge Tua ASAP …
    Unless the team is doubling down on the Tua is fine narrative at the expense of his health.

    Wow.

  5. Eric lindros was cleared to fly when he has punched lung that would have killed him if he didn’t have his dad stop him cos he was in that much pain. The announcers said he spoke with mcdaniels to ask what happened at half time. Surely he should be held over night for safety sake then let to fly for pr reasons to cover the dolphins medical staff , McDaniels and the nfl

  6. There is no chance in hell that he’s fine. Discharging him at this point is negligence and letting him get on a plane is absolutely insane.

  7. It reminded me of when Jhavid Best got his concussion at the end of his college career. He was never the same after that. I hope Tua is OK.

  8. You have to be kidding?! Dude suffers second concussion in 4 days and they are letting him fly home on team plane?!!

  9. Tagovailoa was still accelerating into the ground, his occipital lobe hit the deck going over 10mph easy. Let a car bumper-tap you in back of the head going 10mph (or faster) and its same kinetics. I don’t think Tagovailoa was walking away from that play no matter what happened Sunday prior.

  10. It makes you wonder how he came back into the game last week and did what he did and ultimately get the win.

  11. Tua should have been in the protocol LAST week,the first time his head bounced off the turf and he got up and staggered. Now it’s happened again. There is no denying it this time. His well-being has to come first. The videos tell the story.

  12. Nobody gets up and acts all woozy because of a “back” injury. If the Dolphins actually care about their “franchise” QB, they would not be rushing him back on the team plane. They would be flying in experts for 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions. Do you think Brady, Rodgers or Mahomes would be rushed out of the hospital onto the team plane?

  13. IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS TO MEDICALLY TRAINED PERSONNEL OR EVEN ADVANCED STUDENTS OF NEUROBIOLOGY THAT THE REFLEX SHOWN BY TUA WHEN HE HIT THE GROUND WAS ALREADY SUFFERING FROM A CONCUSSION!!! IMHO HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN PLAYING FOOTBALL!!!
    I AM A MS GRAD OF UNIV CINCINNATI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE!!! SHAME ON THE PHYSICIANS/NEUROLOGISTS FOR ALLOWING TUA FROM BEING DISMISSED FROM UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER AND NOT KEPT FOR OBSERVATION AND FURTHER TESTING BEFORE ALLOWING HIM TO FLY BACK TO FLORIDA TONIGHT!!! MAYBE THE DOLPHINS ABSOLUTELY INSISTED BUT IF I WAS THE HEAD PHYSICIAN I WOULD HAVE MADE DAMN SURE THAT IT WAS DOCUMENTED THAT HE WAS LEAVING AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE OF UC UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM!!!

  14. Glad Tua is doing better,that was scary for him and his family. He needs to think about retiring. He’s in year three and too small to keep hanging on to the ball when a play breaks down. He not making the right decision on second down plays to keep himself from getting hit. Throw it away to get to third down. Take off and slide,to get what you can. Some QB’s are big enough to handle getting hit when plays break down,others make the right decision to protect themselves. Tua takes unnecessary hits at least twice a game. Adding that to the quick sacks and it’s too much. You can’t play in the NFL that small and not learn to get rid of the ball instead of taking sacks.
    Tonight he saw the sack coming and kept trying to make a play that didn’t need to be made,it was second down. He’s failing the situation and his body is paying for it.

  15. steaksandwichandsteaksandwich says:
    September 29, 2022 at 11:43 pm
    There is zero reason to discharge Tua ASAP …
    Unless the team is doubling down on the Tua is fine narrative at the expense of his health.

    Wow.

    __________________________-

    The narratives are so silly. “Dolphins should not have allowed him to come back in the game against the Bills” — he was cleared by an independent neurologist…

    and now this.. The Dolphins don’t have a say if a hospital discharges a patient. Come on man

  16. Here’s a quote from McDaniels tonight: “I could tell it wasn’t the same guy that I was used to seeing,” McDaniel said. “It was a scary moment. He was evaluated for a concussion and he’s in the concussion protocol.” Not the same guy he’s used to seeing? McDaniel can finally “tell” there was an issue tonight. It took–THAT–for McDaniel to realize Tua had a serious issue? It’s just a quote and it could be making a mountain out of a molehill… but I am now convinced this man is totally oblivious and has no business safeguarding anybody’s health. If I am a Dolphin’s player, I am terrified that man is the one charged with protecting me in a similar situation. Being the head coach requires many skills, not just X’s and O’s.

  17. Tua should be banned from playing ever again for his own safety. Force him to retire with his contract fully guaranteed. Time to move on while you still have a brain.

  18. Mike, we need to know if you assumed he will fly back or if that news comes from the team. I work in the healthcare field and it’s well known that flying after a concussion, especially this soon after, can be dangerous. At the very least, it is very painful, but at worst, it can aggravate the injury. I just can’t believe this would be true – it would be gross negligince.

  19. This is actually really scarry stuff. What if the next time he gets hit his hand is stuck in that position for the rest of his life? At the very least they gotta do more testing than him getting out of the hospital before the game even ended come on now. I know tua is a warrior he’s going to say whatever he needs to say in order to play but somebody has to step in and say cool the jets kinda like what happend with baker last year get ur surgery dude

  20. I would like to hear what Ryan shazier thinks about all this. Would he put tua in to play next week?

  21. beej says:
    September 29, 2022 at 11:48 pm
    He had back injury last week, noggin injury THIS week, I’m not seeing the problem here?
    ========================================================================
    Really? The concussion this week was a direct result of the concussion, I mean “back injury” last week. And last week was only 4 days ago. So getting a concussion 4 days after you had a concussion, I mean “back injury” has the potential to have life altering consequences for Tua. Maybe not this week, maybe not this season, maybe not even in the 15 years, but it will catch up to him. Nobody wants to see another player go through what Junior Seau (and many others) have been through.

  22. I’m blown away at some people. Independent neurologists check for concussions. That means that Sunday, he was checked by someone outside the organization and was cleared. It’s not Miami fault the Dr said he was ok on Sunday.

  23. therealzeitgeist says:
    September 29, 2022 at 11:50 pm
    Tagovailoa was still accelerating into the ground, his occipital lobe hit the deck going over 10mph easy. Let a car bumper-tap you in back of the head going 10mph (or faster) and its same kinetics. I don’t think Tagovailoa was walking away from that play no matter what happened Sunday prior.

    ==========================

    It looked like a standard tackle to me. I did not see any excessive force to the head (ie. his head didn’t bounce off the ground). It looked like his upper body took most of the impact before the head hit. If no healthy person would walk away from that play they might as well never tackle a player again.

  24. My wife was released from the hospital less than 24 hours after having a stroke and seizures. The hospital was adamant that she was fine and didn’t have a stroke/seizures even though I begged them for answers. They told me it was just stress and she was fine. A few days later she had seizures again, we went to another hospital and they found the problem and said she should have her never been released the first time. Point being, they don’t always get it right, in this situation and in mine as well they should have errored on the side of caution. Just ridiculous

  25. Football is a violent game and it cannot be made totally safe. There is an assumption of risk involved. Even if all precautions are taken, serious injury can occur. If management followed protocols, move on. God luck Tua

  26. “Tua apparently is and will be fine”… says who? Many NHL hockey players have had their careers ended by concussions… I’m not saying change any rules, at this point, but don’t assume Tua is going to be fine… it’s just not that simple

  27. Wow I wasn’t aware of all the neurosurgeons that login to and comment on this website. I’m just assuming, based on all the know-it-alls that are dictating what should be done with Tua. But as physicians, aren’t you guys supposed to actually examine the patient before making your prognosis as to how to proceed with him?

  28. …and the stupidity continued…it’s time stamped he’s being released from the hospital BEFORE MIDNIGHT! 99% of the population would be kept OVERNIGHT in the hospital for a HEAD injury. Geeez

  29. Now I know why there’s a shortage of doctors in this world. They’re all in this chat room.

  30. Buffalo bills fan here. After last week it made me hate tua. With that said watching him take that hit it definitely made me forget about hating on him and now keeping my fingers crossed that he’s going to bounce back. If the dolphins did let him go back in last we after his “back injury” the owner gm and head coach doesn’t deserve to have a team.

  31. Thwe comments are ridiculous, if the MEDICAL DR discharged him them who are you to say he should stay overnight?? Awful lot of opinions from most that called him a bust and no good 5 months ago. Now all of the sudden you are internet medical doctors and angry he was discharged.

  32. To say he is “OK” because he left the hospital is a huge step in the WRONG direction.

    The whole idea that someone has a concussion and a couple hours later it’s “fixed” or he’s “OK” is a big part of the problem.

    Tua is likely to have lasting issues with this, possibly for life.

    The entire team management should be fired or suspended for a year plus, the owner should be fined millions and the team should lose multiple picks.

    A clear message should be sent that it’s not OK to pretend concussions are anything but what they are – SERIOUS.

  33. Maybe I’m crazy loco but last Sunday I saw a man standing up after a hit shaking his head and then falling down on wobbly legs. Then coming out to play on the same day.
    I saw last night the same man taken down hard and then assuming a fencing position with his left hand all fingers distorted. He could not come back to play but amazingly he was cleared to take a plane ride with the team a few hours after the hit that got him carried out in a stretcher out of the field.
    In a normal day if I fall from a chair and hit my head as a caution in the hospital it is assured I will spend one night. Not including all the emergency mri’s, CT scans and radiology studies I will have.
    So, I am missing something here. Why is Tua concussion less beats me. I sure hope and pray he gets better but as a fan and as a person that cares I prefer to go 3-14 this season if it means we will have Tua next season fully healthy and stronger.

  34. What I’m wondering is, if anyone in Tua’s Camp/Family or maybe someone in the Dolphins organization suggest to Tua that he get a follow up visit after Sunday’s game. I can’t imagine everyone around him just shut up and didn’t intervene for his health.

  35. The aftermath of that play was disturbing to say the least.

    He has to learn to get rid of the ball and give up on a play.
    He doesn’t have the size of a Josh Allen to withstand that type of
    hit. Actually all mobile QBs who run around like that run that risk to
    some degree.

    Live to fight another PLAY !

  36. unbreakable02215021217 says

    He has to learn to get rid of the ball and give up on a play.

    ***

    I totally agree with the philosophy of trying to limit hits you take, obviously that’s a smart thing to do. In the bills game he totally did that, he got rid of the ball, and was hit afterwards. At the end of the day, some qbs have a innate ability to do just that, and don’t take crazy hits every week. I don’t think that’s learned, how can one know what a hard hit will be until it happens? Getting rid of the ball too soon can result in benching, and being out of the league entirely. When there’s competition, the limits are pushed. You can’t ask a player to consider these limits if they are on the cusp of being gone, as a coach you need to do it, maybe? Not totally sure how you could do this. But a player doing this is almost unheard of. I gave up on the play cause I didn’t want to get hurt, is not rewarded. These same media types blasted cam Newton for exactly that. I don’t think it’s possible

  37. I am privileged to be part of such a large community of neurologists commenting about football. I hope Tua gets better. He as been playing well this year and looked good last night, but he has a lot of life ahead of him.

  38. This is where the medical profession becomes a PRACTICE of medicine. Neurologist was crazy with his diagnosis of Tua.

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