The Riverside Press-Enterprise
NFL, union to study concussion protocols after Tagovailoa incident
The NFL’S handling of concussions has evolved dramatically from the days when players were handed smelling salts on the bench and sent back into the game.
The league and the NFL Players Association have implemented extensive protocols and hired unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants (UNC) to work with team physicians at each game to diagnose concussions.
Still, football is a violent sport and injuries similar to the frightening one Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered Thursday night seem unavoidable unless the NFL bans tackling and turns the game into flag football like it did for the Pro Bowl.
That’s not happening, and the most effective means of protecting players remains enforcing strict concussion protocols, which players, fans and others are concerned didn’t happen with Tagovailoa.
It would be difficult to prevent what happened to Tagovailoa when 6-foot3, 340-pound Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou slammed him backward into the turf. The main question is why he was even playing just four days after he stumbled off the field and was unable to walk following a hit to his head during a home game against Buffalo.
Tagovailoa’s hands froze up and his fingers flexed awkwardly in front of his facemask for several seconds as he laid on the turf in Cincinnati, a scary scene witnessed by millions of viewers. He remained on the ground for several minutes until he was taken away on a stretcher and sent to a hospital.
This time — unlike Sunday when he seemed to exhibit concussion symptoms but was cleared by a team physician and UNC to return — Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion. He was released from the hospital and flew home with the team. Flying hours after suffering a concussion raised questions, but NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said the hospital makes that decision.
Tagovailoa’s quick return Sunday prompted a joint review by the NFL and NFLPA. The interview process has started and results aren’t expected for at least another week. Tagovailoa and the team explained his legs were wobbly because of a back injury.
It’s unknown whether there’s any correlation between the two incidents. Concussions are common in the NFL, especially when a player is thrown to the ground by a man Tupou’s size and his head hits the turf.
Sills said “it’s impossible to know” if the injury Tagovailoa sustained Thursday was exacerbated by the hit he took Sunday.
“That’s one of the factors that we want to look at,” Sills said on NFL Network. “Every injury is one we want to prevent.”
Chris Nowinski, a founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation who played football at Harvard, is adamant Tagovailoa sustained a concussion against Buffalo and shouldn’t have played at Cincinnati.
“Tua showed five distinct signs of concussion,” Nowinski told The Associated Press. “Anybody who has any training on concussions or cares about Tua as a human is not putting him on field four days after what he showed on Sunday, so this makes it so much worse because we know that this could be career-ending or season-ending. It should be season-ending, in my opinion. And it just shows just a lack of care for him as a human being.”
• Myles Garrett knows he’s lucky. His life could be very different or even over. Speaking to reporters for the first time since losing control and flipping his Porsche after practice on Monday, the Browns’ star defensive end promised to change his behavior after surviving a crash he caused by driving too fast.
“Definitely grateful to be here,” Garrett said after the Browns practiced without him.
Garrett sustained a sprained shoulder, strained biceps and cuts along with a ruptured blood vessel in his left eye during the single-car wreck on a rural road near his home following practice.
“This will be definitely a wake-up call for me, just try to be smart overall with driving,” said the 26-yearold, who has been ticketed numerous times for speeding in the past few years. “Don’t take anything for granted. Be grateful that I’m still able to be here and just take my time.”
• The Detroit Lions ruled out five players for Sunday’s game vs. Seattle, including receiver Amon-ra St. Brown, running back D’andre Swift and Pro Bowl guard Jonah Jackson. Kicker Austin Seibert and defensive lineman John Cominsky also will not play.
• New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Andy Dalton is preparing to square off with Kirk Cousins in London. Dalton is expected to start after Jameis Winston was listed as doubtful for New Orleans’ game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Winston missed a third consecutive practice because of a back injury.
• New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (ankle) was ruled out for Sunday’s game at Green Bay despite making a return to the practice field. Coach Bill Belichick said earlier in the week that if Jones couldn’t go, veteran backup Brian Hoyer would start in his place against the Packers.
• Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule said he is “very hopeful” that running back Christian Mccaffrey will play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after missing the last two days of practice with a quad injury.
Mccaffrey returned to practice on a limited basis and is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
BASKETBALL Reports: Celtics sign Griffin
Veteran big man Blake Griffin agreed to a contract with the Boston Celtics, multiple sources reported.
Griffin, 33, should help the defending Eastern Conference champions weather the absence of center Robert Williams III, who is expected to miss 8-12 weeks after knee surgery.
The 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick, Griffin is a six-time All-star who averaged career lows of 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds with the Brooklyn Nets last season. In 12 NBA seasons, he averaged 19.8 points and 8.2 rebounds.
• Breanna Stewart and the United States used a dominant defense to beat Canada and reach today’s goldmedal game of the World Cup for the fourth consecutive tournament.
Stewart scored 17 points and the Americans raced out to an early lead to put away Canada 83-43 in Sydney. The 43 points was the fewest scored in a semifinal game in World Cup history.
In the final, the Americans will face China, which edged Australia 61-59. The Chinese team lost to the U.S. by 14 points in the pool round — the closest game of the tournament for the Americans.
GOLF Hughes, Detry lead PGA event
Mackenzie Hughes shot a 9-under 63 to earn a share of the lead in the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship after the second round in Jackson, Miss. Hughes birdied his last two holes at the Country Club of Jackson to catch Thomas Detry of Belgium, who played in the morning and had a second straight 67.
• Charley Hull made eight birdies in her round of 7-under 64 to take the 36-hole lead in The Ascendant LPGA in The Colony, Texas. Hull led by two shots over Xiyu “Janet” Lin (68) and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, whose eagle-birdie finish gave her a 67.
• Englishman Richard Mansell stood up to bad weather to shoot a stunning 4-under 68 on the Old Course and open a two-shot lead halfway through the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland. Mansell carded five birdies and a single bogey to post the lowest round of the day and climb to 10 under par as strong winds and heavy rain made life difficult for the players at all three host courses.
Swede Alex Noren was in second at 8 under after his 69 at Kingsbarns.