“If Tua was your son, would you have sent him back out there?” – Shannon Sharpe blasts Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel after Tua Tagovailoa concussion scare
The dolphins" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Miami Dolphins have been making more news off the field than on it this week, owing to their handling of star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The major concern, of course, is how the organization treated the quarterback after consecutive weeks of suffering serious injuries. The vast majority of the NFL community wondered why Tagovailoa was allowed to play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, including Shannon Sharpe.
On "Undisputed" this week, Sharpe questioned head coach Mike McDaniel, asking whether he would have allowed his own to play on if he would've been in Tua's shoes.
“I want to ask Mike McDaniel. If Tua was your son, and you saw what happened, and he told your dad, ‘it was my back’… Stephen Ross, If that was your son, would you have allowed him to go out there and play after you saw what happened on Sunday? Would you have allowed him to play on Thursday?”
Following the Dolphins' 27 -15 loss to the Bengals, McDaniel was asked if there was anything he could have, or should have, done differently and if Tagovailoa should have played Thursday night following what transpired four days prior versus the bills" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Buffalo Bills:
"Absolutely not," McDaniel said.
The Dolphins head coach later added:
“That would be irresponsible in the first place, and I shouldn’t be in this position. I do not have any — absolutely zero — patience for, or will ever put a player in position for them to be in harm’s way. That is not what I’m about at all, and no outcome of a game will ever influence me being irresponsible as the head coach of the football team.”
What happened to Tagovailoa in the Dolphins' last two games?
In the team's Week 3 victory over the Bills, the Dolphins quarterback took a hard hit from linebacker Matt Milano. It was visible that the 24-year-old was struggling to walk even as his teammates were helping him up.
Tua, however, finished the game, throwing for 186 yards and a touchdown.
He took another hit versus the Bengals the following week in the second quarter after a tackle from defensive lineman Josh Tupou.
After some time, Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to a Cincinnati hospital. He was later discharged and traveled back with the team to Miami.
A number of NFL fans have blamed the organization even as others held the NFLPA accountable.
For their part, the NFLPA is reportedly seeking legal action against the Dolphins for their treatment of Tua.
As things stand, it remains to be seen if the team will allow Tua to suit up in Week 5 against the New York Jets.
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