ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith called for someone to be fired in the Miami Dolphins organization after Tua Tagovailoa was allowed to play in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tagovailoa suffered head and neck injuries after taking a sack on Thursday night. It was the second time in two games that he was noticeably shaken up after a hit.
This is a disaster. Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staffs and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022. pic.twitter.com/D8S8eEbgda
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 30, 2022
In Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was unable to stay upright after taking a hit, but he said after the game that his back “locked” up and that he didn’t suffer a concussion.
You hate to see this for Tua. He has shut up the haters with his play and was battling toe to toe with the vaunted Buffalo Bills and MVP favorite Josh Allen. Praying for his health and for a full recovery from this. pic.twitter.com/1OV8Sq8ocj
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 25, 2022
Tua Tagovailoa explains from his perspective what happened on play where he was wobbly trying to leave the field: pic.twitter.com/wm0Ft9dv8d
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) September 25, 2022
“Kind of got my legs caught under someone, and then they were trying to push back, and then it kind of felt like I hyperextended my back or something,” Tagovailoa said after Week 3.
“And then on the next play, I kind of hit my back and kind of hurt it, and then I got up, and then that’s kind of why I stumbled. My back kind of locked up on me. But for the most part, I’m good, passed whatever concussion protocol they had.”
Smith had some serious criticism for the Dolphins following the incident on Thursday night.
“Somebody need to be fired,” Smith said. “Now, I don’t know who, but somebody got to go, at the very least a suspension. Now, I don’t know if it was the doctors and the trainers that examined him at halftime of the Buffalo game, put him back in. I don’t know if it’s additional medical personnel that were involved that gave the okay for him to be on the field last night.”
Smith also laid into Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who has been adamant that Tagovailoa didn’t suffer a concussion in Week 3.
Mike McDaniel explains why Tua was cleared to play. Says he got all checkups, including independent doctor clearing. They didn’t misreport injury.
“We don’t mess with that. Never have. As long as I’m the head coach that’ll never be an issue you guys will have to worry about.” pic.twitter.com/TjTcIPWLFF
— Will Manso (@WillManso) September 30, 2022
“I’m looking at Mike McDaniel, the coach,” Smith said. “I’m wondering, what the hell are you thinking? Now some people would say, ‘Hey, you’re the coach. If the medical staff gives you the okay to play a player, then you go ahead, and you play the player.’ But you’re a human being. You got two eyes. You know what you saw out there. What about that?”
Smith also questioned Tagovailoa’s teammates for not stepping in and telling him that he didn’t need to be in the game in Week 3 against the Bills after struggling to get up following the hit that injured him.
“Guess who else I’m holding accountable to some degree: his teammates,” Smith said. “… I’m not saying anything was intentional on the part of the players. I don’t mean that way. I’m not trying to imply that any player doesn’t care about Tua. That’s not where I’m going. I’m talking about the knowledge that you have about the game since you are a participant. How in God’s name do you see what you saw in Miami against Buffalo in the first half — you’re perfectly okay with Tua coming out there in the second half, and then you got him on the field in less than five days for another NFL game.
“No one is safe here. Somebody needs to be suspended at the minimum, possibly fired.”
The NFLPA plans to investigate whether Tagovailoa should have been allowed to play in Week 4 against the Bengals.
The NFLPA says it will "pursue every legal option" as it investigates whether Tua Tagovailoa should have played on Thursday night pic.twitter.com/eonATn5fGJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 30, 2022
Right now, the Dolphins and the league need to be focused on making sure that Tagovailoa is going to be healthy going forward after suffering such a scary injury on Thursday night.
This season, the former No. 5 overall pick has played well, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns. The Dolphins are currently 3-1 following their loss on Thursday night.
