Over the first few months of his tenure as Miami Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel has made it abundantly evident he is a players first coach and cares about the athletes on his team. And he showed that in a major way during Friday’s press conference to give the latest news regarding Tua Tagovailoa’s injury during Week 4.
Much of the NFL world was watching on Thursday night when midway through the game, Cincinnati defensive tackle Josh Tupou got a hold of Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa and drove him into the ground for a sack. The young QB violently smashed his helmet against the turf and was badly concussed from the tackle. Even seizing up in a position that will be a terrifying image many Miami fans will have trouble forgetting.
Players on both teams either checked in on the health of Tagovailoa after or took a knee on the field as medical staff placed him on a stretcher and took him off the field. The scary moment even surprisingly led Cincinnati fans to break out in “Tua” chants to support the opposing team’s injured star. That moment will be studied for years and is currently under investigation by the NFLPA to see if the team misdiagnosed a prior concussion last week.
Also Read: NFL Players Association to pursue every legal option over handling of Tagovailoa’s injury
Since taking over as head coach in the offseason, the former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator has been very supportive of Tagovailoa. The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has been the focus of a lot of criticism over his first two seasons in the league, and McDaniel has made it his duty to build the 24-year-old’s confidence up and turn him into the player the organization believes he can be. That relationship has created a bond between the two and it showed on Friday during McDaniel’s press conference.
Miami Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocols, no timetable on his return
While updating the media on the health status of Tagovailoa, the 39-year-old spoke about the difficulty of seeing his QB carted off the field, and it almost led the 17-year coaching veteran to break out in tears.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable, I’ll ever get used to, it will never feel normal for me personally and the type of person I am is I’ll never be comfortable with a player getting carted off the field. Ever. It’s something you never want to be a part of, and when I put myself there, this is what happens. It’s not fun. I’m just really, really glad that I can hear normal Tua in his voice. And I know his teammates that have talked to him feel the same way.”
Mike McDaniel on Tagovailoa being carted off
The Dolphins have put their quarterback into the NFL’s concussion protocols and there is no date on when he could return to action. Along with a CT Scan and X-ray, Tagovailoa underwent an MRI at the team’s facilities today. “I’m not even really thinking about timetables or anything regarding him as a player right now,” McDaniel said [h/t ESPN]. “It’s all about Tua the person.”