In the recent match between Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, an unaffiliated doctor cleared the Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to play after he was evaluated for a concussion. According to an ESPN report on Saturday, that unaffiliated doctor has been fired.
ESPN said the neurotrauma consultant made several mistakes while evaluating Tagovailoa, who seemed to exhibit concussion symptoms after hitting his head on the ground.
The ESPN report read the NFL Players Association elected to fire an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant.
When asked to comment on the ESPN report, the Players Association did not immediately respond, while an NFL spokesman directed inquiries to the players’ union.
Tagovailoa was cleared by the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant to remain in the game. But four days later, in the match against Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher after he again hit the back of his head on the ground.
When Tagovailoa hit the ground on Sunday, his arms appeared to seize up almost immediately, and he remained on the field for about seven minutes before being taken to hospital. He was diagnosed with a concussion in the hospital, where he was taken.
Tagovailoa’s incident on Sunday’s game and the sequence of events has raised questions about the NFL’s concussion protocols. The NFLPA has initiated an investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa’s concussion evaluation.
