Starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, was concussed during the third quarter during the Buffalo vs. Miami game on September 12. Tagovailoa walked off the field after a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. After the game, Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve. The protocol in the National Football League (NFL) for injured reserve is the player must miss four games or more, depending on how their condition improves.
Tagovailoa has a long history of head injuries. He was drafted in 2020 and has had three concussions in his professional football career in the span of two years. Since his latest injury, he has not returned to the field. Tagovailoa reportedly hopes to return for Week 8 of the football season.
Due to his history, many professional and former NFL players have spoken out about Tagovailoa’s situation, urging him to evaluate his career and consider retirement. Dez Bryant, former NFL wide receiver, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “Tua has way too many concussions. He need[s] to retire for longevity health concerns”.
Tagovailoa’s concussion has sparked many conversations about the seriousness of brain injuries in the NFL; however, this isn’t a new topic. In recent seasons, more players have spoken about concussions and reported more symptoms to medical staff. This is partially because awareness of brain damage from sports has increased, and many studies have shown the long-term effects of concussions.
In 2012, over 4,500 former NFL players filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL. They claimed that the NFL concealed the risks of concussions from players and did not properly evaluate them. Many of the players were suffering from long-term health effects related to concussions. A $765 million dollar settlement was agreed upon in 2013 between the veterans and the NFL.
This lawsuit shifted the way many thought about professional football concussions and shed light on the issue of long-term health for retired players. The NFL has since conducted more concussion research, implemented more rules, and added athletic trainer spotters during the 2012 season. The spotters’ job is to watch player injuries, and since 2015, they have been able to stop the game using a medical timeout. These changes are all going in the direction of creating a safer game, but concussions are still a pressing issue.
Guardian caps or approved helmets models are a preventive measure to concussions that have been required during NFL training camp since 2022. Starting this season the NFL expanded the rules to preseason and all contact practices for certain positions, including linebackers, lineman, tight ends, running backs, fullbacks, defensive backs, and receivers, as they experience the most head contact. Players are also now able to wear guardian caps in games.
Guardian caps are supported by NFL research, reporting that they will absorb at least 10% of hit intensity. These caps are padded with a soft shell aiming to reduce the intensity of head impacts. Guardian Sports says that “the league reported a 52% reduction in concussions for those positions during the mandated period versus the previous three-year average.”
However, mandating guardian caps is not a clear solution for addressing concussions. Athletic trainer for Dana Hall School Janna Berger does not think that guardian caps would ultimately benefit NFL players. She says, “Sometimes people may have a false sense of security if they are wearing [protective gear] and put themselves at more danger…. [A] concussion isn’t always caused by a straight on hit, it can be from just twisting your head or hitting your head against the ground or anything like that, and that’s not protecting it.” Guardian caps are not fully preventive to injuries and may even make hits harder for players.
The solution to concussions is not simple; however, if the NFL continues to take measures to protect players’ health, there might be a shift in the occurrence of concussions. There were 219 total concussions reported in 2023, down from 275 reported in 2015.
No matter when Tua Tagovailoa chooses to retire, due to his many head injuries, he will still be at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can lead to dementia and death. If he steps out onto the field again, his life is at a greater risk than it was before.
Image sources:
Indresh Chandel