After Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion, protocols enter spotlight: What happened in Sunday’s NFL games
five-stage protocols agreed upon by the league and NFL Players’ Association. The process has faced heightened scrutiny since Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered separate injuries in back-to-back games – four days apart. Since Thursday’s concussion incident, the NFLPA fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who was involved in treating Tagovailoa on Sept. 25 for his initial head injury. The NFL and NFLPA have announced they will modify the concussion protocol.
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But the way the league identifies and treats head injuries remains inconsistent. On “Sunday Night Football,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate collided with teammate Chris Godwin and jogged off the field (not before a 12-man penalty was called). He missed two plays and returned. At halftime, the Buccaneers ruled him out with a concussion.
“We have one very simple goal here. We want to diagnose and recognize every single concussion that occurs on our field,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said Sunday. “We want to provide best-in-class care in the world for our athletes.”