Getty Image
On Wednesday, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel officially announced that starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had been ruled out of Sunday’s Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills.
While the update is obviously bad news for the Dolphins and their fans, it’s far worse for Tua, as it will mark the fifth game he’s missed this year due to concussions.
In fact, Tua hasn’t played since Christmas Day.More worrying, though, is the fact that he completed that Christmas game against the Packers and wasn’t he entered into the concussion protocol until he showed symptoms the following day.
Speaking on First Take on Thursday morning, Stephen A. Smith said that Tua’s concussions — particularly the one he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals — might jeopardize his career.
“I think his career is in jeopardy,” Smith said on Tagovailoa on the January 12 episode of First Take.
“We don’t want to point the finger of blame because that brings into question people’s intent. And nobody had malice intent when it came to Tua Tagovailoa. I’m not surmising, I’m not making an accusation at that the Miami Dolphins in any way had malice intent. But there’s no way in hell that when he was in that game against Buffalo and he got knocked down, and he got up and he fell back down, that he should’ve been allowed to continue playing in that game.”
Smith then discussed the fact that Tua was playing in an NFL game just days later, and that’s when he suffered the concussion that resulted in him being taken off the field in an ambulance.
“Four days later — four — he shouldn’t have been allowed to play against Cincinnati. Because when you talk about concussion protocols and what have you, it’s not just about what the tests show, it’s about what your eyes see, too. That does play a role,” Smith said.
“And it’s a judgment call by someone other than the athletes to decide whether or not that athlete should be allowed on the field. Now, usually, it takes about six days. They had a game in four… there was not enough time before he was allowed onto that field against Cincinnati.”
.@stephenasmith expresses his concerns over Tua Tagovailoa's multiple concussions:
"I think his career is in jeopardy." pic.twitter.com/Zgxb2fiQ5U
— First Take (@FirstTake)
As mentioned above, the Skylar Thompson-led Dolphins will take on the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the AFC Playoffs on Sunday, January 15 at 1 p.m.
The post Stephen A. Smith Thinks Playing Against The Bengals Might’ve Cost Tua Tagovailoa His Career appeared first on BroBible.