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The Miami Dolphins quarterback took a huge hit at the end of the third quarter by the Bills’ Damar Hamlin, who himself suffered a cardiac arrest on the field in January 2023.
Tagovailoa appeared to go straight into the fencing response, before cameras quickly cut away from the incident. He was able to leave the field under his own steam, before returning to the locker room with trainers.
Often the result of a traumatic head injury, the fencing position or fencing response is an unnatural posture the arms can make for several seconds following impact. Typically the forearms are flexed and extended while the victim’s upper body appears to shake.
Within six minutes of him leaving the field, Tagovailoa had been diagnosed with a concussion and it was relayed to broadcasters Amazon Prime that he would not return to the game. The Bills went on to win 31-10.
Tagovailoa has now suffered three known concussions in the NFL, after his 2022 season was cut short by head injuries.
In Week 3 of that year, he was rocked by a huge tackle and went into the fencing response, but later returned to the game, drawing criticism from fans and a league investigation.
As a result, the league has since modified its rules for diagnosing head injuries and ruling players unfit to return to action.
Making matters worse, in Week 4, Tagovailoa exhibited concussion symptoms again after another brutal hit and was stretchered from the field.
Later in the season, in Week 16, he suffered yet another concussion, which ended his season, and sparked a change to the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Tagovailoa didn’t miss a game in the 2023 season after bulking up over the summer, but he reported for the most recent preseason with a significantly slimmed-down frame.
The scary moment in Thursday night’s Week 2 match-up between the Dolphins and the Bills involved Tagovailoa and Hamlin, two of the most-injured players in the NFL in recent years.
Both have suffered severe internal injuries from playing football, with Hamlin’s cardiac arrest in January 2023 rocking the entire sport.
It was initially thought he would never return to the field, after his life was miraculously saved by hero medics on the field in Cincinnati, but he is now back starting games for the Bills.
On Thursday, fans quickly took to social media to insist that Tagovailoa should retire from the sport after suffering yet another serious head injury.
The calls for him to hang up his cleats were led by former NFL star Dez Bryant, who said on X: That’s it…. NFL go ahead and do the right thing. Tua has had entirely way too many concussions. He need to retire for his longevity health concerns.’
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright added: ‘Tua gets 93M no questions asked and probably 167M if he has to retire due to injury.
‘He fought back from absolutely horrifying concussions to lead the league in passing and earn that contract from the Dolphins.
‘He has to really consider hanging it up after tonight.’