Stephen A. Smith labels NFL's handling of Tua Tagovailoa concussion 'criminal'
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions last season and had NFL fans quite worried for his well-being. While he is cleared to take the field next season, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith is still not pleased with the way the National Football League handled the situation.
He said that the NFL 'mishandled' the situation and that the 25-year-old's livelihood was on the line. The analyst said that they should have done more back in Week 3 of the season when he first suffered the concussion.
"It was mishandled. He was exposed. And, you know, I take no pleasure in saying this. I loved his press conference yesterday as well. I loved his candor, the vulnerability that he showed and he displayed because he basically said that he's got a family to think about. He's the oldest of four children, if I remember correctly, to his parents.
"I believe he has a wife and a son. I'm not sure how many children he has. God bless all of them. But it's important to point out, and there's no easy way to have this kind of conversation. It's an easy argument, to make that his life is on the line when he steps out on the field."
Stephen A. Smith then went on to say that the league didn't do anything to treat that concussion and then allowed Tua to continue playing. Smith thinks that by allowing Tua Tagovailoa to play and not monitor him for a concussion, the league left him to suffer a serious concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"And we're not talking about, just because you're playing in the NFL. He had a concussion in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills. That is the bottom line. And they didn't treat it as such. What happened with him was criminal. He should have never, ever been allowed to stay on that field, even though he survived that game that Miami won.
"And he certainly shouldn't [have] be[en] allowed on the field that Thursday night against Cincinnati when another hit, when his head hit the turf. And it looked like rigor mortis had kicked in and his fingers were contorted and his body froze. It was a scary, scary sight to see."
Smith did say that he is glad that Tua Tagovailoa is healthy now. But his displeasure with the National Football League is still great.
Did QB Tua Tagovailoa consider retiring from the NFL?
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa spoke to reporters on Wednesday as teams report to their facilities to begin offseason workouts. He was asked whether he considered retiring after suffering multiple concussions last season.
Tagovailoa said that he did consider it and actually spoke to his wife and family about the possibility. But, he said, that considering his age and how he still has more years to play, he decided to continue playing.
“Yeah, I think I considered it, you know, for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations."
Tua Tagovailoa also said that he wants his son to grow up and know that his father is playing football and experiencing all of that. He also said that his love for the game brought him back to the field.