Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered the third diagnosed concussion of his career last month and was placed on injured reserve Sept. 17, placing his earliest possible return date as October 27 against the Arizona Cardinals.
The decision was made for precautionary reasons and to give the Dolphins QB ample time to go through the NFL’s concussion protocol and meet with outside neurologists.
On Friday, NFL officials announced a record low amount of concussions according to preseason numbers while also making an official announcement regarding their stance on Tagovailoa’s possible return to action.
The league stated through its chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills that it will enforce the concussion protocol for Tagovailoa it administrates along with the NFL Players Association. Sills added that the league will not have any role in determining when, or if, Tagovailoa will return to the field.
“Patient autonomy and medical decision-making really matters,” Sills said. “And I think that’s what we have to recognize goes on with our concussion protocol as well.
“Ultimately when patients make decisions without considering their careers, it has to reflect that autonomy that’s generated from discussions with medical experts giving them best medical advice.”
Sills said that there isn’t a “detailed formula” for predicting future concussions. A neurosurgeon, he stated that the league relies on medical professionals to “provide our best guess” about when a specific player could return to action.
“But that’s really what it is, is a guess at what is someone’s future risk of concussion.”