MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Hard Rock 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, which the Bills ultimately won 31-10. Tagovailoa then spent a minute or two on the ground as team officials rushed to his side and teammates watched.
“You see his hands look like they’re cramping. Instantly I knew what was going on,” said Dolphins rookie center Aaron Brewer, who was the first player to call for help. “I’m just trying to get the trainers on the field as fast as they can to help my guy. Instantly when I saw it, I was having flashbacks — even from when I wasn’t on the team. The whole world has seen it when he got sacked that time and had that.”
“[I was crushed] crushed. I hate to see him like that,” lineman Austin Jackson said after the game. “First, I was just making sure that he was alright, because I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t there all the way. He was fighting.”
Tua eventually sat up and walked to the sideline with coach Mike McDaniel, then continued with the trainers to the locker room.
“His history makes you feel a little bit more — I mean, concussions happen all the time. But because of his history, you feel a little stronger for him. I will say though that I’ve seen him moving,” veteran Calais Campbell said. “I’ve seen him gather himself, and you could tell it was tough on him, but he got up and he walked off on his own. And that’s what you really want to see.”
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.
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 risk 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.
Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more