Who Investigated the player Was Dropped; NFL Evaluates Concussion Policies.
Following two head injuries that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered in the previous week, a neurologist who was involved in the process that enabled him to play again was taken out of the picture.
At last Sunday’s Miami Dolphins game against Buffalo, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s head collided with the ground. He also seemed to have suffered a head injury during Thursday’s 2023 game.Give credit…Getty Images/Megan Briggs
Following Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury during Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the NFL Players Association has fired the neurologist who treated Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa was given permission to play again in that match, but four days later, he was carted off the field during a game due to what appeared to be a second head injury.
The firing occurred just hours before the NFL and players’ union declared on Saturday that they were working to change the league’s concussion protocol, possibly in a few days.
The doctor, referred to as a “unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant,” who had provided advice to the Dolphins’ team physician during Tagovailoa’s evaluation last Sunday, was removed by the union, which “exercised its right,” according to two people with knowledge of the decision. According to one source, Tagovailoa was initially diagnosed as not having a concussion and was permitted to play days later after the outside physician—who had been cleared by the NFL and the union—was fired for breaking concussion protocol.
Two days prior, during the Dolphins’ Thursday game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa took a second blow to the head and was carted off on a stretcher to the hospital. The doctor’s dismissal has not been made public. When the injury was reported during prime time on Sunday, there was a loud discussion once more about whether the Dolphins had broken the concussion protocol.
The players’ union announced shortly after the incident on Sunday that it had started an investigation into how doctors evaluated Tagovailoa’s condition following his head colliding with the turf during the Dolphins’ home game against the Bills in the second quarter. The investigation is being conducted in conjunction with the league.
Following the play’s conclusion, Tagovailoa struggled to stand up and fell after taking a few steps. He reached for his helmet with his hands. To have him assessed, they led him to the changing area.
The league and the union created the concussion protocol, which states that a player cannot return if a team physician concludes that the player’s “gross motor instability” was “neurologically caused” “in consultation with” an independent neurologist. The player’s diagnosis is subject to final approval by the team doctor.
When Tagovailoa was being assessed for a potential head injury last Sunday, the Dolphins first made that announcement during the game. The quarterback returned for the second half despite later reporting that he had back and ankle injuries.
Dr. John Uribe, an orthopedist who also serves as the team physician for the N.H.L. Florida Panthers, is the head physician of the Dolphins. It’s unclear who decided in the end to let Tagovailoa play again against the Bills—Dr. Uribe or another team physician.
There was “every indication,” according to an N.F.L. spokesman on Wednesday, that Tagovailoa’s doctors had adhered to the league’s concussion protocol. However, the league and the players’ union stated in a joint statement on Saturday night that no conclusions about potential protocol violations or medical errors had yet been reached by the investigation. They added that talks were in progress to change the concussion protocol in the coming days, with a focus on the word “gross motor instability.
In no more than three weeks, the investigation’s goal will be to ascertain “whether a violation occurred and, if so, the proper disciplinary response.” The complaint shall be forwarded to an arbitrator in the event that the league and union cannot agree upon whether the protocol was broken.
If it appears that a player may have suffered a head injury, the neurological consultants assist team physicians on the sidelines of every NFL game. The hospitals in the city of the home team are usually where these neurologists are employed. NFL Players Association medical director Dr. Thom Mayer and league chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills both approve them.
In no more than three weeks, the investigation’s goal will be to ascertain “whether a violation occurred and, if so, the proper disciplinary response.” The complaint shall be forwarded to an arbitrator in the event that the league and union cannot agree upon whether the protocol was broken.
If it appears that a player may have suffered a head injury, the neurological consultants assist team physicians on the sidelines of every NFL game. The hospitals in the city of the home team are usually where these neurologists are employed. NFL Players Association medical director Dr. Thom Mayer and league chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills both approve them.
The collective bargaining agreement for the NFL states that a neurological consultant is permitted to “present his/her own questions or conduct additional testing and shall assist in the diagnosis and treatment of concussions.”
A Dolphins spokesman responded to inquiries regarding the whereabouts of the team physician or physicians who assessed Tagovailoa on Sunday by saying that the team was allowing the joint investigation to continue.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during the game on Sunday, but the Dolphins have not confirmed this. He did, however, suffer a concussion during the game on Thursday, according to the team. Serious complications may arise from a second concussion that is suffered before the first has fully healed.
Although Tagovailoa was experiencing headaches, Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel stated on Friday that he was feeling better overall. Later that day, Tagovailoa posted on Twitter that he was “focused on recovering so I can get back out on the field with my teammates” and that he was “feeling much better.”
A return date for Tagovailoa has not been announced by the team.
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