Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion after collision with Damar Hamlin in loss to Bills

By Jacob Lev and Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during his team’s 31-10 loss Thursday night to the visiting Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins said – marking another head injury for a player who previously expressed concern about his history of them.

Tagovailoa left the game in the third quarter after he dove for a first down and took a hit to the head by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The 26-year-old stayed on the ground at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and was attended to by Dolphins trainers.

Tagovailoa eventually walked off the field under his own power and was replaced by backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. Tagovailoa was “ruled out with a concussion,” the Dolphins said on social media.

Tagovailoa has a history of concussions, having suffered multiple during the 2022 season. In April 2023, he said he considered walking away from football “for a time” after the concussion issues.

After Thursday’s game, Hamlin said he wished Tagovailoa a “speedy recovery.”

“I know he’s a dawg. He’s a fighter. He’ll be back soon for sure,” Hamlin told reporters.

Hamlin has had his own injury-related scares in recent years. The Bills safety collapsed during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January last year after making a tackle and taking a shot to the head and chest area. Medical professionals performed CPR when he lost his pulse and he needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation. He was on a ventilator for days and spent more than a week in a Cincinnati hospital.

It was later determined that Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations (or abnormal heartbeats).

How the situation unfolded

Tagovailoa’s injury occured midway through the third quarter when he attempted to run for a first down.

As the quarterback made it across the first down line, Tagovailoa lungedhead-first, resulting in the collision with Hamlin’s chest.

The technique used by Tagovailoa is different to the one typically used by quarterbacks where they slide feet-first to protect themselves, with defenders penalized if they come into contact with a sliding player.

CNN Sport’s Coy Wire, a nine-year NFL veteran who played with the Bills and Atlanta Falcons, said his first thought was Tagovailoa “should’ve slid, should’ve played smart.”

“He learned to do that after 2022. That’s why no reported concussions last season,” Wire said.

“But my second thought was, sometimes, that competitive nature and desire to win, or gain the first down, etc. clouds all training and judgment. I think just that one time he let his guard down and, unfortunately, just that one time might cost him his career.”

Wire added: “It was a huge Thursday Night Game with a division rival. Tua had already thrown three interceptions and he probably wanted to redeem himself. That adrenaline and that will to win can make people do things they probably shouldn’t.”

Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz said he believes Tagovailoa should consider retirement after another head injury.

“It’s easy for me to say but it’s sad to see and you have no idea what the ramifications will be later in life,” Schwartz, who played for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “But it’s clear that his body can’t handle those hits to the head/neck area, with the scary reactions he has. And at some point you got to get hit.”

‘Taking it one day at a time,’ coach says

The fifth-year pro was in “good spirits” after the game, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters.

“I talked to him in the locker room,” McDaniel said. “Obviously, I talked to him on the field, and then talked to him in the locker room before he was headed home. He was in good spirits.”

McDaniel said his immediate thought when he saw Tagovailoa go down was “concern.”

“I was just worried about my guy, so, yeah, it’s not something that you ever want to be a part of,” McDaniel said. “You hope not to.”

The third-year head coach said it was too early to decide about putting Tagovailoa on the injured reserve list – a move that would mean he’d miss at least four games.

“It’s more about getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow,” McDaniel said. “And taking it one day at a time. The furthest thing from my mind is what is the timeline. … We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are.”

When asked if it was still safe for Tagovailoa to play football considering his history with concussions, McDaniel stopped short in giving an answer.

“From a medical standpoint, I don’t approach things that I’m far inferior of expertise,” McDaniel said. “I’m just there to support my teammate, like I said. I think … for me to go ahead and forecast things that I don’t know in my non-field of expertise, I don’t think that’s appropriate.

“I think we will find out some more information tomorrow in terms of where Tua is at. … We will have conversations and progress as appropriate.”

Tagovailoa went around the locker room and “connected” with his teammates to “keep the guys’ heads up,” McDaniel said.

“Just another example of his great character and leadership,” McDaniel added. “I think that when something happens to an individual and you see their response – I mean, he’s concerned about his teammates. That tells you everything about the type of person he is, and he knows what he means to this team.”

Tagovailoa struggled before leaving the game Thursday, throwing three interceptions.

This story was updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Jason Hanna contributed to this report.