Tua ruled out for upcoming game this weekend against the Jets, coach says
MIAMI -- Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will not play during the upcoming game this Sunday against the New York Jets, head Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.
Officials have not said when -- or if -- Tagovailoa will return to the field as a starting player after he suffered a blow to the head during a home game against Buffalo.
During a news conference last week, McDaniel said he urged the player to not think about football in order to focus primarily on his recovery.
Tagovailoa initially seemed to exhibit concussion symptoms after he took a hit to his head during the home game against Buffalo, but he was cleared by a team physician and UNC to return. He and the team later explained his legs were wobbly because of a back injury.
After the hit on Thursday, when 6-foot-3, 340-pound Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou slammed him backward into the turf, Tagovailoa's hands froze up and his fingers flexed awkwardly in front of his facemask for several seconds as he laid on the turf in Cincinnati.
He remained on the ground for several minutes until he was taken away on a stretcher and sent to a hospital. He was released from the hospital and flew home with the team hours later.
It's unknown whether there's any correlation between the two injuries.
Concussions are common in the NFL, especially when a player is thrown to the ground by a man Tupou's size and his head hits the turf.
McDaniel defended the team's handling of the quarterback's injury against the Bills, when he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano late in the first half and appeared to knock his head on the turf.
Tagovailoa stumbled when he got up and was taken to the locker room for evaluation, then returned to the game at the start of the third quarter.
The Dolphins, amid a rebuild in 2020, drafted Tagovailoa No. 1 overall to be a franchise-altering piece following a college career that included a 2018 national championship.
But when that didn't happen as quickly as Miami anticipated, questions arose on whether to stick with the young quarterback or go in another direction.
Tagovailoa seemed to be answering those questions through the first three weeks of the season, efficiently utilizing the weapons that Miami surrounded him with during the offseason, including star receiver Tyreek Hill, to lead the Dolphins to a 3-0 record heading into Thursday's game.
Including his 110 passing yards before leaving the game, Tagovailoa is second in the league in passing yards (1,035) and he has thrown 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
