PHOENIX – Tua Tagovailoa is grateful the Miami Dolphins kept him off the field after his second concussion and has no doubts about playing again next season.
The third-year quarterback missed Miami’s last three games, including a playoff loss to Buffalo, after being diagnosed with a concussion following a Dec. 25 loss to Green Bay.
“One of the biggest things I was trying to do was get back on the field and it was something I had to consult with my wife, my parents and my family,” Tagovailoa told the AP Pro Football Podcast on Friday. “But at the end of the day, I think others had a greater interest in my health than I did. (I’m speaking) of the dolphins, and their whole plan was, ‘Hey, we just want to protect you from yourself and not put any pressure on you to come back this year.’ And as much as I wanted to come back and a lot of the conversations we had, it’s just the way the cards played out.
“Looking back, I’m very, very grateful that they didn’t push me back. I can take care of myself a lot more and better.”
The NFL and players’ union revised concussion protocols in October following a joint investigation into procedures after Tagovailoa suffered what is known as a back injury in September against the Buffalo Bills.
In the first half of a game against Buffalo on Sept. 25, Tagovailoa received a hit from Bill’s linebacker Matt Milano that knocked him to the ground. Afterward, he appeared disoriented and stumbled trying to get to his feet.
Tagovailoa was immediately taken to the dressing room and returned after being cleaned of all head injuries.
Just four days later, Tagovailoa started in a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He suffered a concussion in the first half after his head hit a sack violently. He showed the fencing reaction after the fearsome hit and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Tagovailoa returned after missing two games.
When he suffered the second concussion, the dolphins held him.
“I would say it’s very important,” Tagovailoa said of the team refusing to return. “In a game like this, where manliness is everything and how you portray yourself in a building like this, you either earn respect from your boys or you lose respect. There is no ‘I respect you, but’. Either you do it or you don’t.
“And so it was really good that the doctors and all these people were able to take a lot of the pressure off of it.”
Tagovailoa was 8-5 in his 13 starts and threw for a career-high 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns with an NFL-best passer rating of 105.5. He plans to be ready for off-season training when the Dolphins return.
“No reservations here,” said Tagovailoa, who appeared on Radio Row on behalf of Subway. “I think you’re either into it or you’re not. So I’m all in.”
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