Miami Dolphins

The NFL Players Association has fired the independent doctor who cleared Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to return in last Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Saturday, the NFLPA exercised its "prerogative to terminate" the doctor.

NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe the NFLPA's investigation found "several mistakes" made by the neurotrauma consultant with Tagovailoa's concussion test.

Tagovailoa was removed from the game against the Bills in the second quarter after taking a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano. He got back to his feet following the hit but got wobbly and fell to one knee momentarily.

The Dolphins announced Tagovailoa was questionable to return due to a head injury. The third-year quarterback returned at the start of the third quarter and finished the game, leading Miami to a 21-19 victory.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tagovailoa's injury was a back issue that occurred in the first quarter on a quarterback sneak and worsened when it "locked up" following the hit from Milano, leading to him being wobbly.

Rapoport also noted Tagovailoa was fully cleared after undergoing a concussion check in the locker room.

The NFLPA announced in the aftermath of the situation last Sunday that it would investigate the handling of the concussion check during the game.

Tagovailoa was removed from Miami's game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday after his head hit the ground following a sack by Josh Tupou. His arms and fingers appeared to seize up as he was down on the field, leading to him being taken off on a stretcher.

After being diagnosed with a concussion at a Cincinnati hospital, Tagovailoa was discharged and allowed to fly back to Miami with the team.

NFL vice president of communications Jeff Miller told Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson that "every indication" the league received about the situation was the concussion protocol "was followed" properly.

Per the NFL's official concussion protocols, once a player is suspected to have suffered a head injury, they are immediately removed from a game and sent to a medical tent for assessment.

Players are only allowed to return to the game if they clear a five-step evaluation process. If a player demonstrates "gross motor instability" caused by neurological reasons, the NFL's guidelines say the player should be taken out of the game.

Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa suffered injuries to his head and neck on a scary hit in the second quarter of Thursday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but the quarterback provided a positive update on his condition Friday.

"I want to thank everyone for all of their prayers and support since the game last night," Tagovailoa said in a statement. "It was difficult to not be able to finish the game and be there with my teammates, but I am grateful for the support and care I've received from the Dolphins, my friends and family, and all the people who have reached out.

"I'm feeling much better and focused on recovering so I can get back out on the field with my teammates."

Tagovailoa was taken to a Cincinnati hospital on a stretcher after hitting his head on the turf on a sack by Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou. He was diagnosed with a concussion, and there is no timetable for his return.

The injury occurred just four days after Tagovailoa was evaluated for a concussion in a Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. After hitting his head on the turf in the second quarter of that game, Tagovailoa could barely stay on his feet as he tried to walk back to the huddle.

Tagovailoa was removed from the game and evaluated for a concussion before being allowed to return for the second half. He said he passed concussion protocol during that game.

However, the NFL and NFLPA are now investigating Tagovailoa's concussion evaluation, and the league's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, promised to make the results of that investigation public, per NFL Media (h/t ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio):

“We want to be as transparent and open about this as possible. We certainly want to learn, to improve, to get better. And we want to be the best in the world at diagnosing and managing these injuries. And so if we find that we fell short, or if we find that there are things that we need to change, we will certainly be up front about doing that. We’ve done that before, and we will certainly do that again, if that’s what’s indicated.”

Sills added that there will be "very serious consequences" if the concussion protocol was not followed.

The Dolphins have faced immense criticism for allowing Tagovailoa to play against the Bengals on Thursday night, but head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that he passed concussion protocol every day leading up to the game:

"I have 100 percent conviction in our process regarding our players. This is a player-friendly organization and I make it very clear from the onset that my job here is for the players. I take that very seriously. No one in the building strays from that ... If there would have been anything lingering with his head, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I prematurely put someone out there and put them in harm's way.

"This is a relationship that I have with this human being. I take that serious. I wouldn't have put him out there if there was any inclination given to me whatsoever that he was endangering himself from that previous game."

With Tagovailoa expected to be sidelined indefinitely, the Dolphins will likely turn to Teddy Bridgewater until he can return.

Miami is first in the AFC East with a 3-1 record and will play the New York Jets next weekend.

NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills said on the NFL Network Friday that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was checked for concussion symptoms every day this week.

Tagovailoa, 24, left Thursday night's 27-15 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second quarter after appearing to be knocked unconscious following a sack. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital with head and neck injuries, though he was released from the hospital and flew back with the team to South Florida.

Tagovailoa was being monitored ahead of Thursday's game after suffering an injury last weekend and returning to the game. Following a hit in a win over the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa stumbled after he got back to his feet and he was listed as questionable to return to that game with a head injury.

However, after undergoing tests, the team determined a back injury, not a head injury, had caused the stumble, and he was permitted to return to the game.

The NFLPA promptly opened an investigation into the Dolphins' handling of that injury. And after Tagovailoa's injury on Thursday night, the NFLPA released the following statement:

NFLPA president JC Tretter followed up with a statement of his own:

Sills, meanwhile, also made an appearance on CNN and offered more information on the situation and the NFL's concussion protocols:

It remains unclear when, or if, Tagovailoa will play again this season.

"I'm not even thinking about timetables as a player," head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters when asked if the Dolphins were considering an IR stint for Tagovailoa. "It's about Tua as a person. We're just worried about him getting healthy and getting all of the testing done. We'll cross the bridge on timetables."

"You wanna win the game but obviously you wanna make sure that your brother is all right," wide receiver Tyreek Hill added on Thursday night, saying players had been asking for updates on Tagovailoa's during the second half. "Football is just our part-time job, but that brotherhood is something that'll last forever."

The Miami Dolphins are under intense scrutiny after Tua Tagovailoa suffered a head and neck injury that appeared to cause his arm to seize up in the second quarter of Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Friday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Adam Schefter noted he spoke to multiple teams that said their medical and training staffs "would not have allowed" Tagovailoa to play on a short week after the injury he sustained in Miami's Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills:

"Now he did play, and every team has a different medical staff and different standards, but again I come back to 'gross motor instability.' It's the phrase that's in the protocols, it's the phrase that people are using. People have said he has a concussion, the Dolphins said he didn't have a concussion. We don't know whether he did or he didn't. What we do know is that when he walked off that field on Sunday, something did not look right. Something was wrong, and Tua was allowed to re-enter the game after being cleared by the doctors leading up to the circumstances last night that left everybody with a deep, disturbed feeling about how the system had failed."

The Dolphins announced Tagovailoa was taken to a local hospital in Cincinnati for further examination and he has movement in all of his extremities.

After the game, the Dolphins announced Tagovailoa was "expected to be discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center" and fly home with the team.

There was a lot of controversy stemming from Tagovailoa being allowed to return to play in the second half against the Bills on Sunday.

After taking a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano that caused his head to hit the turf late in in the second quarter, Tagovailoa got up wobbly and fell to a knee before being taken out.

The Dolphins originally announced Tagovailoa was questionable to return with a head injury. He was back on the field with the offense at the start of the third quarter.

Following Miami's 21-19 victory, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tagovailoa's injury stemmed from a back issue that occurred early in the game and his back "locked up" after the hit from Milano.

According to Rapoport, Tagovailoa went through a concussion check in the locker room and was fully cleared.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the NFL Players Association initiated an investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa's concussion check.

The Dolphins' official injury report leading up to Thursday's game noted Tagovailoa didn't participate in practice on Monday and was limited on Tuesday and Wednesday because of back/ankle injuries.

The NFLPA tweeted on Thursday the investigation into a potential concussion protocol violation involving the Dolphins and Tagovailoa is ongoing.

Teddy Bridgewater replaced Tagovailoa for the remainder of the game against the Bengals. Miami's next game is on Oct. 9 against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said he's going to seek out an unnamed Cincinnati Bengals coach to discuss comments made during Thursday night's game.

"Whichever coach that is, I'm gonna come find you, bro," Hill told reporters. "... Me and you gotta have a mano-a-mano conversation. 'Cause at the end of the day, I felt disrespected as a man."

Hill led all players with 10 catches for 160 yards, but the Bengals scored an important 27-15 victory at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

The six-time Pro Bowler didn't yield any further details about the opposing coach's alleged remarks, and there were no signs of the interaction during television coverage of the contest.

Hill sent some trash talk in the direction of Bengals cornerback Eli Apple leading up to the game, continuing a rivalry that's lasted since earlier this year.

"I can't wait to go against Eli Apple," the Dolphins wideout said Sunday. "I owe you, boy. I owe you. Cheetah is here."

It's unclear whether that played a role in the bad blood with the Cincy sideline.

Meanwhile, Hill also addressed the scary injury suffered by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was transported to the hospital for evaluation for head and neck injuries.

"You wanna win the game, but obviously you wanna make sure that your brother is alright," Hill said. "Football is just our part-time job, but that brotherhood is something that'll last forever."

The Dolphins later announced Tagovailoa was expected to travel back with the team after being discharged from the hospital.

Miami's next game is scheduled for Oct. 9 when the Dolphins visit the New York Jets.

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union will consider legal remedies as it investigates whether Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should have played in Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Smith sent a statement to two members of the Amazon broadcast team, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman, after Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to the hospital for evaluation of head and neck injuries, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

"We insisted on these rules to avoid exactly this scenario," Smith said. "We will pursue every legal option, including making referrals against the doctors to licensing agencies and the team that is obligated to keep our players safe."

The NFLPA previously launched an investigation into whether Tagovailoa should have returned to Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills after going through concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa stumbled to his feet and struggled to maintain balance after hitting his head on the field during the Week 3 game against Buffalo.

He briefly left the contest but returned after halftime. NFL vice president of communications Jeff Miller said Wednesday the league was confident proper protocols were followed.

"Every indication from our perspective is that it was [followed]," Miller said. "I know that the player, the coach and others have spoken to this."

Chris Nowinski, the CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said hours before Thursday's kickoff the Dolphins quarterback shouldn't be allowed to play:

Tagovailoa remained down for several minutes after a hard tackle Thursday night, leading to outrage on social media about how his situation was handled.

The Dolphins later announced he was expected to travel with the team back to Miami after being discharged from the hospital:

Miami has announced no further updates about his status as of Friday morning.

The NFLPA didn't provide a timetable for its investigation into the Dolphins' handling of last week's concussion protocol enforcement.

Their next game is scheduled for Oct. 9 against the New York Jets.

The Miami Dolphins' handling of Tua Tagovailoa is under the spotlight after he stumbled when getting up following a hard hit during Sunday's win over the Buffalo Bills and then exited Thursday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with a concussion a mere four days later.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked about how the quarterback was cleared to both re-enter the Bills game and take the field against the Bengals.

"For me, as long as I'm coaching here, I'm not going to fudge that," he told reporters. "If there's any inclination that a person has a concussion, they go into the protocol and it's very strict. As long as I'm the head coach that will never be an issue to worry about."

McDaniel also said he was positive Tagovailoa's injury during the game against Buffalo was not a head injury:

Thursday's was, though, and the quarterback was hospitalized after his head hit the turf on a hard sack from Josh Tupou. The Dolphins announced he is expected to be discharged and fly back with the team Thursday.

"The best news we could get is that everything is checked out and he didn't have anything more serious," McDaniel told reporters. "A concussion and he will be flying back with us on the plane."

It wasn't a certainty that Tagovailoa would even play Thursday's game for much of the week, but NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported in the morning that he would take the field "barring a setback" despite being listed with back and ankle injuries.

The situation was already a talking point because the Dolphins initially announced the injury he suffered against the Bills was to the head. However, McDaniel later told reporters it was a lower back injury that caused Tagovailoa's legs to wobble when he attempted to run.

The NFLPA responded by opening an investigation into how the team handled the concussion protocol and tweeted a message after Thursday's injury that said the investigation remains ongoing:

As for the actual game, Teddy Bridgewater came in for Tagovailoa and helped the Dolphins take the lead in the third quarter.

However, the Bengals scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, with Bridgewater's interception to Vonn Bell ending Miami's best chance late in the contest.

The actual football took on secondary importance for much of Thursday's game after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field following a scary injury, but the Miami Dolphins came up short in a 27-15 road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

What was seen as a potential AFC preview between the conference's only remaining undefeated team in the Dolphins and the reigning Super Bowl representatives in the Bengals took on a somber tone with the Tagovailoa injury that he suffered when his head hit the turf on a sack by Josh Tupou.

The Dolphins announced he was hospitalized but was conscious with movement in his extremities, and the Amazon Prime broadcast said the expectation is he will be discharged from the hospital Thursday and fly back with his teammates.

That left backup Teddy Bridgewater to come into the game in an unexpected and sudden matter, and he responded by leading a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown on a shovel pass to Chase Edmonds right before halftime to give the visitors some much-needed momentum.

He also impressed with a beautiful deep ball to Tyreek Hill to set up a field goal in the third quarter to take the lead and earned praise for stepping into a difficult situation and still performing:

Unfortunately for Bridgewater and the Dolphins, the valiant effort wasn't enough.

While he impressed with a long run to convert a third down into Cincinnati territory while trailing by five late in the fourth quarter, the drive came to an end when Vonn Bell picked him off for the safety's second interception of the game.

Next up for Miami is a divisional road game against the New York Jets, and the quarterback situation and Tagovailoa's health will be a central storyline leading up to it.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field with head and neck injuries during the second quarter of Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals after taking a sack, the team announced.

Tagovailoa was conscious with movement in all of his extremities and transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further evaluation. Shortly after the game ended, the Dolphins announced Tagovailoa would be released from the hospital and fly home with the team.

Head coach Mike McDaniel later told reporters Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion.

The 2020 first-round pick is in the midst of a breakout season highlighted by a six-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. He entered Thursday ranked first in ESPN's Total QBR (82.8) after rating 18th in that metric (55.7) last year.

Tagovailoa suffered back and ankle injuries during the Dolphins' Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills, and the NFL Players Association also launched an investigation to determine whether concussion protocols were properly enforced after he returned to that game following a halftime evaluation of a head injury.

The 24-year-old Hawai'i native missed four games in 2021 while recovering from a rib injury.

Teddy Bridgewater will lead the Miami offense with Tagovailoa sidelined.

The Miami Dolphins started using 12 men on offense after they discovered people watching their walkthrough practice Wednesday as they geared up for a Thursday Night Football matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network provided the report:

Leaked video of the walkthrough emerged on social media Wednesday, with Barstool Cincinnati notably posting numerous clips from other sources.

An NFL investigation into the matter soon began, but no evidence of a competitive violation was uncovered, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post:

The defending AFC champion Bengals will host the undefeated Dolphins at 8:15 p.m. ET from Paycor Stadium.

This is a big matchup for both sides.

The Dolphins are trying to assert themselves as an AFC powerhouse after a hot start. They'll have to do so while traveling on a short week following a dramatic and tiring 21-19 win over the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills.

Miami notably has a host of players on its injury report for this one, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (back/ankle), offensive tackle Terron Armstead (toe), cornerback Xavien Howard (groin/glute) and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (groin). All of those players are questionable, but all are expected to play Thursday, per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are trying to avoid a 1-3 start to their season that's included a pair of losses on walk-off field goals. Quarterback Joe Burrow and his stable of pass-catchers got the team back on track Sunday, however, with a 27-12 road win over the New York Jets.