NFL fans that tuned into the Thursday night game in Week 4 saw something horrifying. Tua Tagovailoa, who was questionable to play for Week 4, took an aggressive tackle deep in the pocket. Minutes later, he was transported off of the field on a stretcher. The TV coverage showed his fingers in very distorted positions in the aftermatch of the hit.
On Twitter, "Hope Tua" and "Prayers for Tua" started to flood the popular social media application. Skip Bayless was one of the sports personalities who tweeted using the keywords.
Head injuries are a major concern in the NFL. Tagovailoa appeared to head bump last week against the Buffalo Bills. He spent most of the next few days on the Miami Dolphins injury report. The injuries were listed as bank and ankle injuries. On Monday, he was DNP. On Tuesday and Wednesday he was LP. DNP means "did not practice" but it could also mean "would not have practiced if a practice was held." LP means limited in practice.
What will result from this?
Bayless is not alone in wondering if Tua Tagovailoa should have been playing. What will the fallout be for the decision to allow him to? It's not impossible that Tagovailoa's career is in jeopardy at the time when he appeared to just start to become of age. He had emerged as a peripheral threat for NFL MVP or Offensive Player of the Year based on his start this season.
The unquoted keywords "Miami Dolphins should be fired" is a thing right now. The facts regarding what went on with Tagovailoa will be examined for sure. At first glance, the public reaction to seeing what happened to him has not been favorable to the Dolphins. This is a development that could be hard for the franchise and the NFL to handle going forward.
