Jordan Poyer’s wife Rachel Bush sends prayers to Tua Tagovailoa, asks fans to be ‘kind’ towards Dolphins QB
Tua Tagovailoa is once more in a harrowing situation. During the third quarter of his Miami Dolphins' 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, the one-time Pro Bowl quarterback lunged for a rushing first down and slammed headfirst into safety Damar Hamlin.
He suffered a concussion and was removed from the game, with Skylar Thompson replacing him. After the game, several people on social media wished for his speedy recovery, including Rachel Bush, the wife of safety Jordan Poyer:
Others who sent prayers were Hamlin himself and Shannon Sharpe, the latter of whom also commented that Tagovailoa should consider retiring:
Even much-maligned former wide receiver Antonio Brown also commiserated with Tagovailoa. Brown himself suffered a serious concussion when linebacker Vontaze Burfict rammed into him head-on during the Wild Card Round of the 2015-16 playoffs.
After the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen said:
“If you know Tua outside of football like I do, you can’t help but feel for him. He’s a great football player, but an even greater human being - one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him. I’m just praying for him and his family and hoping everything is O.K.
Latest update on Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion
Meanwhile, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel refused to immediately give an update on Tua Tagovailoa's current condition or return timetable, saying he would get “proper procedural evaluation” on Friday and “then take it day by day from there”:
“I’m just worried about the human being. I was just worried about my guy. It’s not something you ever want to be a part of. You hope not to.”
When asked about whether it was safe for his quarterback to continue playing football, he said:
“I don’t approach things that I’m far inferior in expertise. I don’t think that’s appropriate. We’ll find out some more information tomorrow. He’ll be able to spend a good amount of time being evaluated. Then we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate.”
McDaniel also praised Tagovailoa's continuing support of his teammates:
“He knows what he means to this team and shows a lot of awareness in this regard because he knows there are a lot of guys that are worried. Just another example of his character and leadership.”
The Dolphins next visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 22.