Roger Goodell breaks silence on Tua Tagovailoa's controversial return to field after suffering concussion
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a series of concussion issues last season, and such was the severity of them, some thought that he should have retired from the NFL.
There was a lot of noise surrounding Tagovailoa's concussions as he suffered his first one, and then days later, he was back on the field and suffered another one, and this led to serious backlash for the NFL.
Now, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken about the incidents on ESPN's First Take.
Goodell gives thoughts on Tua Tagovailoa's concussions last year
As we know, there was a serious amount of scrutiny surrounding the NFL's handling of Tagovailoa's concussions, but Roger Goodell, who spoke with Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was a level of concern for Tagovailoa going forward after his concussions.
Goodell said via ESPN's First Take:
"They're always whenever you have an injury, particularly an injury, a concussion injury or any injury that involves the spinal cord, all of those issues are, you know, a very significant attention. And I as I mentioned to you, we change those protocols last fall, shortly after Tua’s first injury.
"And again to address that in a more conservative basis to allow our doctors more freedom. I don't make those decisions. Ultimately, as far as injuries, we have incredible medical professionals on the field. We saw that play out over the season, including with Damar Hamlin, our medical professionals are the best in the world.”
Tua Tagovailoa past concussion issues as he blitzes Chargers in Week 1
There were plenty of eyes on Tua as he took the field for the Dolphins Week 1 clash against the Los Angeles Chargers, and putting it simply, he was phenomenal.
The Dolphins would win a shootout 36-34, and Tua's performance was superb.
He would complete 28 of his 45 passes for 466 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. His favorite weapon, Tyreek Hill caught all passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers' much-vaunted secondary had no answer for the cheetah.
Tua Tagovailoa also linked up with Jaylen Waddle as the receiver caught four passes for 78 yards in what was a superb performance from the Dolphins quarterback.
Given the physical nature of the NFL, naturally some are still concerned with Tagovailoa if he gets another hit, but until then, we are free to watch him torch defenses for fun.