Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh cannot even describe the emotions the feeling was when he witnessed Tua Tagovailoa’s gruesome injury Thursday night.
Tagovailoa was removed from the field using a stretcher following an incredibly hard hit from Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou and was then taken to the hospital in a nearby area and flew back home to join teammates of the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. However, Harbaugh was still feeling some kind of a numbness after the terrifying tackle that took place only five days following Tagovailoa had been forced to miss the game of Week 3 with another head injury.
Harbaugh wasn’t the sole one who felt uncomfortable following the incident. The former NFL tight-end Tony Gonzalez and former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who were both on the same set for Amazon Prime Video’s show on Thursday night in Cincinnati were both agitated by the incident.
“I’ve never witnessed anything like that, with the manner in which the hands moved,” Gonzalez said, in reference to how Tagovailoa’s hands were locked after he struck the ground.
“We’ve all played lots of football, and this is one of the most difficult scenes I’ve ever witnessed,” Fitzpatrick added.
The tests on Friday found that Tagovailoa did not suffer fractures or broken bones following the incident according to The Miami Herald. The doctor also performed the MRI at the end of his Friday afternoon.
Dolphins the head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday that He sat beside Tagovailoa on the plane back from Miami while watching a film. McDaniel said he chose to go to Tagovailoa on Thursday due to the fact that “there was no indication medically from any source that there was any issue with the head. If there was something that was lingering in the head of his, then I would not be able to cope in peace with my self.”
NFLPA investigation continues
Prior to Thursday night’s match that night, there was speculation that NFL Player’s Association had reportedly had already launched an investigation into the way in which Tagovailoa could be cleared to return to the field for Game 3 against Buffalo Bills after leaving with an injury.
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith reportedly texted Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman, two former union representatives who were present at the game to watch Amazon Prime Video, after the game, saying that the NFLPA “will explore every legal option, which includes sending referrals to the doctors to licensing authorities and the team legally bound to keep our players secure.”
NFL head of medical Allen Sills said that the findings of the investigation will be made available to the general public. Tagovailoa had been checked for concussions on a daily basis from Sunday.
