NFL make final decision over Tua Tagovailoa’s retirement and can force Dolphins star to quit over concussion injuries
THE NFL have made a final decision over whether Tua Tagovailoa will be forced to retire.
The Miami Dolphins quarterback suffered the fourth concussion of his career against the Buffalo Bills in NFL Week 2.
APTua Tagovailoa goes down with another concussion suffered against the Buffalo Bills[/caption]
APTua is understood to have made his own decision on whether to retire from the NFL[/caption]
He has been out on the injured reserve ever since, as he has tests to determine the extend of the head injury.
There had been calls from experts, analysts and fans for him to retire for the sake of his health.
Tua is understood to want to continue playing for the Dolphins, and continue his career.
He only signed a $212 million, four year contract, in July, one of the largest in the league.
But a little-known NFL rule means the league could ban him from playing if they are concerned about his health.
That would essentially send the 26-year-old into forced retirement, against his wishes.
Commissioner Roger Goodell and his staff have now made a final decision on whether to do this.
Tua will need medical clearance from the NFL to ever play again.
“Patient autonomy and medical decision-making really matters,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer.
“I think that’s what we have to recognize with our concussion protocol as well.
Why is the NFL allowing players to wear Guardian Caps?
The NFL announced in April that players will be allowed to wear extra protective headgear in games to increase player health and safety.
They are designed to reduce the risk of head injury in high-impact collisions and were introduced in practice in 2022 – leading to a 50 percent reduction in concussions.
The NFL says that they can reduce the force from head contact by 10 percent if one player is wearing it, and 20 percent if all players involved are wearing them.
“We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps during practice so players will be permitted to wear the cap during games this upcoming season,” said NFL executive Jeff Miller.
“Additionally, there are new helmets this year that provide as much – if not more – protection than a different helmet model paired with a Guardian Cap.
“These developments represent substantial progress in our efforts to make the game safer for players.”
NFL players will have 12 new helmets – including eight that are made specifically for linemen and quarterbacks – to choose from next season.
“Ultimately, when patients make decisions about considering their careers, it has to reflect that autonomy that’s generated from discussions with medical experts giving them best medical advice.”
This means if Tua gets medical clearance, the NFL will not get involved in his return to the field.
The tests with the league are expected to happen nearer his scheduled return date, around Week 7.
“There is no detailed formula to predict the risk,” Dr Sills added.
“It’s not like we can put in your number of concussions and how long between them and your age and some unusual constant or Avogadro’s number and come up with a risk.
“It just doesn’t work that way.
“What we end up having to do is look at the totality of the patient’s experience.
“How many concussions, the interval between those concussions.
“Some about duration of symptoms after each concussion and then very much the patient’s voice about where they are in their journey, their career, their age and things of that nature.
“And from that, we try as medical professionals to provide our best guess.
“But that’s really what it is.
“It’s a guess at what is someone’s future risk of concussion.”
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings