Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced on Friday that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will remain in the NFL’s concussion protocol and miss Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
McDaniel first announced on Monday that the player was in the league’s protocol after suffering a concussion during the Green Bay Packers game a day earlier. Tagovailoa played the entire game against the Packers and the coach could not pinpoint a moment where the 24-year-old might have been injured.
Tagovailoa seems to be showing signs of improvement, McDaniel told reporters on Friday.
“I would say that he’s better than the day before, but I’m also trying to get a team ready to play this game and it really doesn’t do anybody any service to overtalk in this scenario where he’s got to be focused on his health and nothing else,” the coach said.
This is the second time this season that the quarterback landed in the concussion protocol, which is the NFL’s policies for assessing and caring for players who sustain a concussion.
Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is expected to start in Tagovailoa’s place on Sunday.
The NFL and the NFL Players Association investigated the application of the league’s concussion protocol around Tagovailoa’s injury and found no violation of that protocol, the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement on Saturday.
“The review established that symptoms of a concussion were neither exhibited nor reported until the following day at which time the team medical personnel appropriately evaluated and placed Mr. Tagovailoa in the concussion protocol,” the statement said.