"More important than a playoff game" - Robert Griffin III emphasizes importance of Tua Tagovailoa sitting out postseason tie against Bills
Tua Tagovailoa is out of Sunday's playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. The quarterback remains in the concussion protocol as of today and won't have enough time to recover and practice ahead of the wild card showdown.
The Dolphins are preparing for rookie Skylar Thompson to be their starter against the Bills. However, head coach Mike McDaniel stated that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has an outside shot, provided he does not suffer any setbacks from his finger injury.
Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions in the 2022 season and remains in the protocol ahead of a crucial game. Many notable analysts feel that sitting him out for the playoff game is the right decision, as concussions have a long history of providing long-term damage to the brain.
Robert Griffin III, a former quarterback and current analyst for ESPN, has lauded the decision to sit Tagovailoa for the wild card round, stating that there are more important things than a playoff game.
Tua has been ruled out for this week’s playoff game because he hasn’t cleared the concussion protocol. Even if he had cleared the protocol the focus should be on the PERSON BEFORE THE PLAYER. There’s life after football and the quality of it is more important than a playoff game
Who will the Dolphins face in the playoffs?
Miami starts its 2022-23 playoff run against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. As the seventh seed, they play the highest seed in the wild card, which is their division rivals.
In their two games in 2022, each team walked away with a triumph. The Dolphins won 21-19 in Week 3, while the Bills won 32-29 in Week 15.
With Tagovailoa out, of course, Buffalo has become a much bigger favorite.
How many concussions Tua Tagovailoa had in 2023?
According to official reports, Tua suffered two concussions in 2022, but everyone knows that he suffered three.
During the Week 3 game against the same Buffalo Bills, he suffered a hit that left him wobbly, but the team later dismissed it as a back issue. However, the Miami Dolphins played just four days later, and Tua suffered a hit to the head that left NFL fans scared of the scenes, as he was knocked out cold and went into a fencing response before being removed from the game.
He missed two games and returned to the field in Week 7. His last game was a Week 16 contest against the Green Bay Packers, where he suffered another concussion but remained on the field until the end of the game.