His Concussions Changed NFL Rules. He Just Had Another

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in Thursday night's game against the Bills, and the hit is reverberating loudly around the league. Some current and former players are even calling for the 26-year-old to retire from the game given his high-profile history with the injury.

• 2022 hits: Tagovailoa sustained at least two concussions in the 2022 season. The first diagnosed one—he was taken from the field in an ambulance—came only four days after he took a hit to the head that left him wobbly, though he was allowed to return to the game. This prompted the league to tighten its concussion protocol rules, and the players' union to fire its concussion consultant. Tagovailoa sustained another concussion that season in a game three months later.

• Thursday: Tagovailoa ran for a first down on a fourth-down play in the third quarter, but instead of sliding feet first, he collided head-first with Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin, per NBC News. He remained on the ground but eventually walked off the field and into the locker room under his own power. The team announced his concussion only six minutes later.
• Enough? The Athletic rounds up comments from current and former players saying it's time for Tagovailoa to retire. "Really hope Tua is ok, but he's gotta seriously think about shutting it (down)," tweeted Shannon Sharpe. "If I'm (Tua) at this point, I'm seriously considering retiring from football," said former All-Pro Tony Gonzalez after the game. Tagovailoa himself has said he considered retiring after the 2022 season. He did not miss a game last season.
• Timeline: Tagovailoa will undergo testing under the league's rules before any decision is made on whether he will return this season, let alone for the next game in 10 days. An injury expert tells CBS Sports that the "fencing" position he displayed after Thursday's hit is a "textbook sign" of a serious head injury. "He hit his head twice," says Marty Jaramillo. "First on the tackle, second on landing. This young man simply doesn't have the luxury of having multiple concussions and [then thinking] he will have a long career. ... [It's] not fair to himself and his family."
• Hamlin: The tackler on the play, Hamlin, is the Buffalo player who nearly died on the field in 2023 because of a heart ailment. After the game, he tweeted "love and prayers" to the quarterback. "Sending you strength and healing for a speedy recovery." Dolphins backup QB Skylar Thompson finished the game, which the Bills won 31-10.

(More Tua Tagovailoa stories.)