Miami-based doctor calls for Tua Tagovailoa to be suspended indefinitely

A Miami doctor tweeted that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should be suspended for not reporting his concussion symptoms on Sunday. After receiving backlash, he deleted the message.

Dr. Jesse Moore posted his original comment earlier on Tuesday, then offered a response after deleting it.

Tagovailoa most likely suffered his concussion in the latter part of the second quarter of Sunday’s 26-20 home loss to the Green Bay Packers. During the second half, the Dolphins were held scoreless and Tagovailoa threw interceptions on each of the Dolphins’ last three drives.

On Monday, Tagovailoa self-reported that he was suffering symptoms of a concussion, with the Dolphins’ team doctors immediately placing him in concussion protocol.

Dr. Moore’s controversial idea to suspend Tagovailoa for not immediately reporting the injury is a rule that doesn’t currently exist in the NFL .

That lack of awareness concerning league rules was just one of the criticisms that were leveled against Dr. Moore.

There were others who pointed out that suspending Tagovailoa would likely serve as a deterrent for future players to report a concussion. In such a situation, a player could potentially become vulnerable to more severe health issues.

The connection between Tagovailoa and concussions is something that first surfaced in September when the third-year quarterback left consecutive games after receiving hard hits to the head.

In a Week 3 home game against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa got up after a hard tackle and then quickly staggered to the ground. He was briefly held out before then returning to the game.

Less than a week later, Tagovailoa then sustained a more serious injury against the Cincinnati Bengals. In that instance, he was carted off the field and checked out at a local hospital, leading to severe criticism.

Tagovailoa then missed the next two games because of the latter injury and had no further concussion-related issues until Sunday’s game.

As a result of Tagovailoa being placed in concussion protocol, his status for Sunday’s crucial game against the New England Patriots. The Dolphins desperately need a victory to remain in contention for a playoff berth.

The possibility exists that Tagovailoa could be off the field until next year. The Dolphins are likely to take extra precautions before sending him back out on the field, given his value to the future of the franchise.