🏈 Some who watched the scary injury want to know why Tua Tagovailoa was playing just four days after his quick return Sunday prompted a joint review by the NFL and NFL Players Association.
“Every indication from our perspective is that it was,” Miller said about the team and its doctors following concussion protocol on Sunday. “I know the player, the coach and others have spoken to this.
And we are engaged in that review now. So we’ll come back with a formal answer to that question, something that we want to engage in.” Before the game, Chris Nowinski, a founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation who played football at Harvard, wrote on Twitter: “If Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for concussion care in the NFL. If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued and should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn’t right.”Tagovailoa appeared to be disoriented by what the team originally said was a head injury after taking a hard hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano late in the first half. He missed just three snaps and returned after halftime. Tagovailoa and the team said a back injury was the reason for his instability after the hit and he wasn’t in concussion protocol. He was questionable to play on Thursday but started the game.A player who exhibits or reports symptoms or signs suggestive of a concussion or stinger enters protocol. During each game, independent certified athletic trainers monitor the players on the field. If they see an impact to the head, they call a timeout and the player must be removed from the game, examined and evaluated. Team trainers, coaches or physicians, teammates, NFL game officials, sideline unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants or booth ATCs also can initiate the protocol. Any player in concussion protocol undergoes a six-step evaluation by a team physician and UNC to determine the severity of the injury and whether or not they’re fit to return to the field. The final step is a neurological evaluation featuring a cervical spine exam, including range of motion/pain, evaluation of speech, observation of gait, eye movements and pupillary exam. If any elements are positive, inconclusive or suspicious of concussion, the player is escorted to the locker room. In the locker room, a team physician and UNC conducts a full neurological exam and complete NFL Standardized Concussion Assessment Tool. If abnormal, the player doesn’t return to play, undergoes periodic evaluation by a medical team and has a follow-up neurological exam. The league instituted the system in 2011 after Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy took a helmet-to-helmet hit in a game and returned without being tested for a concussion. The Browns said that the team’s trainers didn’t see the hit because they were tending to other players and that no one told them about it. After the game, McCoy was diagnosed with a concussion.According to healthline.com, “when a person experiences an impact that’s strong enough to cause traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion, their arms often go into an unnatural position." Tagovailoa appeared to take that position, his fingers flexed awkwardly in front of his facemask for several seconds as he lay on the turf. “The fencing response is often seen when a player is knocked down or knocked out during full-contact athletic competitions such as football, martial arts, boxing, rugby, and hockey,” per healthline.com. It happened to Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham during a Thursday night game against Kansas City last Dec. 17. Parham was removed on a stretcher and stayed overnight at a hospital for observation after being diagnosed with a concussion.The severity of Tagovailoa’s concussion is not known, but it's seemingly encouraging he was allowed to fly with the team. He must undergo a five-step process before being allowed to take the field again. The fifth phase is a full practice followed by clearance from the team physician. After that, he must be examined by an independent neurological consultant.More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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