Tua Tagovailoa left the Dolphins vs. Bengals Thursday Night Football matchup in the second quarter after he hit the ground hard as he was sacked.
The quarterback was officially taken out of the game with neck and head injuries, the Dolphins announced. Tagovailoa was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center right away. The Dolphins also noted that Tagovailoa is conscious and “has movement in all his extremities.”
The Dolphins trainers rushed to the field to help the quarterback once he didn’t appear to get up. He was thrown onto his back by Bengals tackle Josh Tupou. Tagovailoa’s head hit the ground, and his fingers curled as he laid down on the ground.
The trainers brought a stretcher out to take Tagovailoa off the field, and Dolphins backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater came in to replace him.
Both teams took a knee as Tagovailoa was being looked at. The entire Dolphins team huddled around their quarterback as he was taken off the field.
This incident comes just days after Tagovailoa suffered a back injury against the Bills. He was questionable to start up until about two hours before kickoff on Thursday.
Last Sunday, Tagovailoa left the game in the second quarter and cleared concussion protocol, so he returned to the field. After the game, the quarterback addressed the concussion protocol and told reporters his back “locked up” after the hit, causing him to stumble.
The NFLPA reportedly is investigating the Dolphins’ handling of Tagovailoa’s concussion protocol from last Sunday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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