| Advertisement |
MIAMI, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Tua Tagovailoa says he is anxious to return to the field this weekend after a "stressful" hiatus that included a probe into the Miami Dolphins' handling of the quarterback's head injury and resulted in NFL rule changes. "I'm just really excited that I can prepare and play this Sunday," Tagovailoa told reporters Wednesday at the Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Advertisement
"I think everyone's excited to go out there and compete against a really good Pittsburgh Steelers team."
Tagovailoa's news conference Wednesday marked the first time he spoke to reporters since he sustained concussion Sept. 29.
"It has been a process, that's for sure," said Tagovailoa, who took an initial hit to his head in a Sept. 25 game against the Buffalo Bills and returned to play in the second half -- and then sustained a concussion four days later from another hit to the head.
An NFL-players union investigation, which was launched immediately after Tagovailoa's concussion, first resulted in the firing of an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who was involved in clearing the quarterback to return to the Sept. 25 game after he took the hit to his head, wobbled, collapsed and needed assistance to stand after that collision.
The probe also led to new concussion protocol language for similar situations, with players exhibiting those symptoms of imbalance now longer allowed to return to games.
"Having to deal with the interviews with the NFL and the NFLPA [union] and then having to go and see doctors outside with second opinions ... a lot of that has been pretty stressful," Tagovailoa said.
"But all of it's done for player safety and I'm glad that I got to go through those things to kind of understand more of the deals of concussions and the facts, long-term, short-term.
"I thought it was great that I was able to go through the process and get cleared."
Tagovailoa, 24, led the Dolphins to a 3-0 start before he departed in the first half of the Sept. 29 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. He was transported to a Cincinnati hospital that night and later flew back with teammates to Miami.
Tagovailoa said Wednesday that he lost consciousness after he took that hit from Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou and doesn't remember being carted off the Paycor Stadium field in Cincinnati.
He also said, "I don't know," when asked how many concussions he previously sustained during his football career.
Tagovailoa didn't return to practice as a full-time participant until Friday. He officially cleared the concussion protocol Saturday. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that the team plans to start Tagovailoa on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
McDaniel also said he didn't anticipate any rust, from a mechanical standpoint. The first-year head coach praised Tagovailoa for his leadership amid the hiatus, which included being vocal at recent practice sessions and helping backup quarterbacks Skylar Thompson and Teddy Bridgewater prepare.
"What I want to see is the same locked-in guy that I know, when he's on it, he's his laser-focused," McDaniel said Wednesday.
"He's in his normal mood, but he doesn't lose attention span to the task at hand. That's what what I've grown to love about the guy, and that's why he's been able to have some success in a completely new language and system. And that will be my expectation for this week."
Tagovailoa will make his fifth start for the Dolphins at 8:20 p.m. EDT Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
"I just gotta be myself," Tagovailoa said. "I'm not the savior of this team. I don't just come in and we start winning games. It's a team deal. ... I just look at it as just being myself. Don't try to force anything."
