Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered another scary concussion on “Thursday Night Football,” and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is concerned about the quarterback.
“I’ll be honest, I’d tell him to retire. It’s not worth it . . . I’ve never witnessed anything like what has happened to him three times.” Pierce said during a press conference on Friday.
“You could see right away the players’ faces on the field; you could see the sense of urgency to get Tua help. I just think at some point, he is going to live longer than play football. Take care of your family.”
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is assisted on the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The Dolphins were down 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills, with the Dolphins offense on Buffalo’s 13-yard line. It was fourth-and-four, and the Dolphins needed a touchdown to stay in the game.
The 26-year-old scrambled for the first down but was tackled by safety Damar Hamlin instead of sliding once he was past the sticks. Tagovailoa immediately hit the deck and slammed his head on the turf at Hard Rock Stadium.
Tagovailoa appeared disoriented as his hand began moving uncontrollably, and he held his head as the Dolphins began crowding around him. Players on both the Bills and Dolphins got down on one knee as the medical staff was quick to run out and assess the quarterback.
After being down for several minutes, Tagovailoa ultimately walked off under his own power with a noticeable limp. Instead of going into the blue medical tent, Tagovailoa walked off the field with trainers into the locker room, where they diagnosed him with a concussion.
DOLPHINS’ TUA TAGOVAILOA FACES CALLS TO RETIRE FROM NFL AFTER LATEST CONCUSSION: ‘IT’S NOT WORTH IT’
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is assisted on the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The other times Pierce were referring to were during the 2022 season, when Tagovailoa appeared to suffer a concussion in a Week 3 matchup against the Bills at home. But it was later ruled that he had been dealing with a back injury, which led to him stumbling after noticeably smacking his head on the ground during a play.
Just days later, in Week 4, playing against the Cincinnati Bengals on “Thursday Night Football,” Tagaovailoa was tossed onto the Paycor Stadium turf in Cincinnati. A disturbing scene unfolded as his hands were posturing, an occurrence that sometimes comes with head injuries in which where the fingers curl.
Tagovailoa was removed from the field on a stretcher and returned to play in Week 7.
Later in that season, Tagovailoa suffered another concussion in a Christmas day matchup in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers and did not play the rest of the season.
Last season, Tagovailoa did not miss a game, and the Dolphins signed him to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension after leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023.
After the loss to the Bills, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked whether it was safe for Tagovailoa to continue to play football.
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field at the end of the first half during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
“I think from a medical standpoint, I don’t approach things that I’m far inferior of expertise. I’m just there to support my teammate, like I said,” McDaniel told reporters. “I think for me to go ahead and forecast things that I don’t know in my non-field of expertise, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
“I think we’ll find out some more information tomorrow in terms of where Tua’s at. He’ll be able to spend a good amount of time being evaluated, then we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate. Like the rest of his teammates, who he went around the locker room and connected with as a leader, he was trying to keep the guys’ heads up, he’ll be in the office tomorrow to have the appropriate care.”
The Dolphins’ next game is against the Seattle Seahawks on Sep. 22.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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