Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s dramatic concussion during last Thursday’s game against the Bengals and the quarterback’s handling after an apparent concussion last Sunday has opened up a very important conversation about player health.
It has become a topic of discussion for coaches across the NFL, Belichick included.
The Patriots coach wouldn’t comment on Tagovailoa’s situation, but he suggested he might have approached things a bit differently. During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” following Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Belichick said he “absolutely” has ruled players out even after they’ve been medically cleared to return to the game.
“I’ve definitely done that before,” Belichick said. “Oh, yeah. If I see a player that I think is not functioning properly, and for some reason it hasn’t been identified, then absolutely, I have done that. I would say not recently; those are things that have happened at other points in my career. But yeah, absolutely.
“If a player doesn’t look like he’s functioning properly, we evaluate him with the medical people, but we also, as a secondary check, even if the medical people were to clear a player, we still go through a coaching clearance to make sure that he’s ready to play football, not just medically cleared. We always have a secondary evaluation on that.”
Some called him out on his comments as they pointed to the handling of former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson back in 2007 or Julian Edelman.
On the other hand, former Patriots offensive line coach Rich Orhnberger shared a more positive view of the team’s approach to a concussion he suffered in 2011.
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An NFLPA-launched investigation into the situation regarding Tagovailoa remains ongoing.
