The NFL Players Association is not being well received this week and it has to do with the health and safety of Tua Tagovailoa. The NFL Players Association tweeted a statement Thursday night regarding Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s neck and head injury he suffered vs. the Bengals that had him stretchered off the field.
They had already launched an investigation into the Dolphins’ handling of the quarterback’s concussion check last Sunday after he was hit hard in the second quarter vs. the Bills. He somehow cleared concussion protocol and returned to the game.
After the game, Tagovailoa said he suffered a back injury. Nobody believed him.
On Thursday night, Tagovailoa was sacked and hit the ground hard so hard that his fingers began to twist in a way that suggested he had a major head trauma. He was taken straight to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for a head and neck injury.
“Player health and safety is at the core of the union’s mission,” the NFLPA said. “Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing.”
A number of former NFL players took to Twitter and blasted the NFLPA and that included former quarterback Ryan Leaf, who accused the NFL players union of “pushing out propaganda” and calling them “complicit in what happened.”
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“THE F- IT IS!! Stop pushing out your and the NFL’s propaganda. You are just as complicit in what happened. How do you look at yourselves in the mirror,” Leaf wrote.
Former offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz:
“We’ll fight like hell to keep QBs who sexually assault women from getting suspended for too long but when one of the good guys has concussive symptoms, returns to the game, doesn’t enter concussion protocol, and is allowed to play 4 days later, ‘our investigation is ongoing,’” Schwartz tweeted.
It is possible that Tagovailoa would not have played Thursday night if the concussion check presented a different outcome from what the Dolphins announced last Sunday. The NFLPA’s investigation is looking into why Tagovailoa was cleared on Sunday, and eventually why he was active Thursday night.
Tagovailoa was conscious, had movement in all his extremities and was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further evaluation. The quarterback was released from the hospital and traveled back home with the team.
If they allow him back on the field for the next game, heads will surely roll even more than they are now.
