Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will not play in game against Buffalo
MIAMI -- Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will not play during the team's game Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
"As of today, Tua has not been cleared by doctors to resume football activities on the field with his teammates. Because of that and because of the time that he's missed I can rule him out for Sunday," said McDaniel.
How did Tua take the news that he was out?
"He's conflicted. He's learning that he needs to listen to the advice from doctors and medical professionals. He understands the severity of doing that. So there is a little bit of things that he can't control," said McDaniel.
"He was an incredible part of the entire season. I think eight of our wins were a result of him playing quarterback among the team and that did not come because it was just gifted. That was a lot of work and preparation, so it's very frustrating, much as a lot of things in life and football are," he added.
During the team's weekly meeting with reporters, McDaniel said of the quarterback situation, Teddy Bridgewater is working to prepare himself for Sunday.
Bridgewater is recovering from a dislocated pinky.
"Teddy is still working his way back. His biggest thing is he knew that he had to be in a position where he had to be fully functional on Sunday. That took some strain, some guts, and work ethic, that's not an easy thing to do. As it stands right now he's working to prepare himself to be capable on Sunday but as a result of that he can't afford any setbacks or anything that is conflicted against the healing process," said McDaniel.
The coach said as of Wednesday, Skylar Thompson will be the starting quarterback.
Sunday's game will be the third game in a row that Tagovailoa will miss after he suffered a concussion.
Tagovailoa suffered his second known concussion of the season in a loss on Christmas to Green Bay and remains in the NFL's concussion protocol. He was concussed on Sept. 29 against Cincinnati on a hit that knocked him unconscious.
The Bills are still coping with the situation around safety Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated after being struck in the chest by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins while making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of Buffalo's since-canceled game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.
Hamlin, 24, spent a week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he experienced what doctors are calling "a remarkable recovery" during treatment that sparked a national conversation about safety on the football field.