MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ website, as one would expect, has a ton of excellent information on concussions.
It explains the causes of concussions. It lists the symptoms. And it states as fact that “the risk of concussion in football is three to six times higher in players who have had a previous concussion.”
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has suffered not one, but at least three — and potentially more — since November of 2019.
Yet Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, at the team’s year-end news conference, stated without equivocation that the team’s third-year quarterback is no more at risk of being concussed than anyone else.
Chris Grier on Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Asked by Pro Football Network in a group setting Monday about that research and if there’s fear that Tagovailoa might have to deal with a heightened risk of concussions for the rest of his career, Grier replied with the following:
“I think, from what our doctors and the consultants we’ve talked to through the NFLPA, that is not a true statement. For us, I don’t think he’s any more prone than anyone else. For us, we’re just going through letting the doctors and the medical staff and the people in that field, like you said, that know a lot more. But from everything we’ve been told, that is not a concern.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, sitting to Grier’s left on the dais, added: “Specifically, these are the doctors that are working with him directly and individually, as opposed to a generalization.”
The Dolphins are betting that their doctors are right and outside observers are wrong. Because Tua is their plan at quarterback for 2023 — and hopefully beyond. But the Dolphins are also implicitly saying that Tagovailoa’s long-term health is not at risk by resuming his football career, which they hope can be as soon as this spring.
“I am happy that the team is voicing their support for Tua,” Chris Nowiski, the founding CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, wrote on Twitter following Monday’s news conference. While there is a small trend toward #concussions becoming easier to get & longer to recover from, it’s not a guarantee. Good chance his 2nd & 3rd were solely due to going back too soon after the 1st. Let’s hope he’s fine.”
Tagovailoa missed five games this year — including Sunday’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills — after suffering two diagnosed concussions in a span of three months. That figure does not include when Tagovailoa briefly left the team’s first Bills game for a concussion exam after twice stumbling to the ground after hitting the back of his head on the turf. Team and independent doctors ultimately determined Tua’s gross motor instability resulted from a lower back injury, not a concussion.
The Dolphins realize that Tua’s head injuries have come when he’s hit the back of his head on the ground — and are looking at all options to prevent that precise injury from happening again.
Among the options: Reevaluating the protective equipment Tagovailoa wears on game day. Grier said that Tagovailoa already wears one of the two or three highest-rated helmets, per the league’s NFL safety research.
Tagovailoa is entering a critical stage of his professional career. He is eligible for a contract extension beginning March 15. That seems unlikely, considering his lengthy injury history.
A more immediate concern: Will the Dolphins pick up his fully-guaranteed fifth-year option (at an estimated $22 million)? The Dolphins have until May to decide and appear likely to take their time. Grier would only say everything was on the table when pressed about Miami’s contract plans for Tagovailoa.
“I think you can’t be scared of stuff,” Grier said when asked broadly about the team’s willingness to commit moving forward to players with a long injury history.
“You talk about Terron [Armstead] — a Pro Bowl left tackle, the impact he did with us, in terms of leadership and what he did on the field for us. Raheem, another guy people talked about being hurt, had a career year and everything he has done in terms of leadership. … They’re good players, they’re the right type of people you bring into a building for a young team. The impact, it’s far reaching. They miss a game or two here, which you never hope they do. Injuries happen. It’s football.”