Miami Dolphins in turmoil after Tua Tagovailoa concussion

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa speaks during an interview following practice at the NFL football team's training facility, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Earlier in this turbulent week for the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel joked that enough people had seen him cry.

The Dolphins coach was referring to a news conference in which he choked back tears while reflecting on a controversial traffic stop involving Tyreek Hill hours before Miami’s season opener. Five days later, McDaniel sat down for another news conference not 24 hours after a Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills, and he again couldn’t hide his emotions.

His quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, is in the concussion protocol, dealing with his third diagnosed concussion in three years after colliding head-first with defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.

McDaniel ran onto the field to check on Tagovailoa, who sat up after a few minutes and was helped to his feet by trainers. As McDaniel walked with Tagovailoa to the sideline, he gave his quarterback a kiss on the side of the head.

“I told him he’s the starting quarterback of his family,” McDaniel said Friday morning, speaking slowly and somberly as he recounted the moment, “and to go in the locker room, take a deep breath and I’ll see you soon.”

Losing again to their division rivals was hard enough. Buffalo has won 12 of the last 13 meetings between them. That disappointment was overshadowed by fear, uncertainty and concern for Tagovailoa.

“Stuff like this, losses are tough,” McDaniel said. “Ones that you’ve really built yourself up to try to get done … that’s really tough and then you have your heart completely involved with it — I look at Tua as a family member of mine. When family is going through something, you know how it is. You’re trying to think about a ton of different stuff that people are counting on me to think about. Not easy.”

Players from both teams immediately waved for trainers when Tagovailoa went down after scrambling for a first down.

Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air. He appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was a movement consistent with something referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a brain injury.

He was immediately diagnosed with a concussion — his third since joining the Dolphins as the fifth overall pick in 2020.

McDaniel said Friday there are more unknowns surrounding the situation than certainty at this point. He said the Dolphins will bring in another quarterback eventually, but he did not want to rush to judgment on any timelines, or on Tagovailoa’s future in the NFL.

“For me, I absolutely positively will not do anything to make anything worse or hurt any one of our players, ” McDaniel said, “specifically guys that are in concussion protocol. Ironically, I think there’s a lot of people that have vested interest in the Miami Dolphins. There’s a lot of fans and there’s a lot of people that want to support, but quite literally, questioning timelines, that gives forth anxiety.”

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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.