Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said that he and his family are grateful the team prevented him from returning to the field as he went through concussion protocol for the second time last year, adding the organization was "protecting me from myself," per Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today.
Tagovailoa entered concussion protocol on Dec. 26, one day after his team's 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The NFL and NFLPA agreed that there were no violations of the protocol because "symptoms of a concussion were neither exhibited nor reported until the following day."
He missed Miami's final two regular-season games and the Dolphins' 34-31 AFC Wild Card defeat to the Buffalo Bills because he did not clear all of the concussion protocol steps.
"He's conflicted," head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters after announcing that Tagovailoa would be out for the playoffs.
"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."
Tagovailoa told Salmon that Miami didn't allow him to go through the concussion protocol normally, which is why it seemed like it took such a long time.
The former Alabama star entered concussion protocol for the first time after his head slammed on the turf following a sack in a Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed two weeks before returning.
Four days before the Bengals game, Tagovailoa suffered an apparent head injury against the Buffalo Bills. Ben Morse and Jacob Lev of CNN provided the details:
"In the second quarter of the Dolphins' 21-19 victory against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa exited the game having appeared to suffer a head injury after a hit from linebacker Matt Milano caused his helmet to hit the turf.
"As he attempted to make his way back to the line of scrimmage, Tagovailoa stumbled, almost losing his balance before being taken to the locker room for a concussion check. Milano was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty."
Tagovailoa stayed in the game, though. The incident led to a change in the league's concussion protocols, which Tom Pelissero of NFL Network outlined:
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tagovailoa is expected to return as Miami's starter in 2023. He completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season.
