Mike McDaniel talks Tua Tagovailoa concussion: ‘He’s the starting quarterback of his family’

The Miami Dolphins lost to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night in a game that was never close. The story from the game was not the loss, though, but rather the injury to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. In the third quarter, Tagovailoa scrambled away from pressure on a 4th-and-2 play, picking up six yards and giving Miami a 1st-and-Goal. On the tackle, however, Tagovailoa leaned into safety Damar Hamlin and sustained a concussion.

The quarterback, as he hit the ground, displayed fencing symptoms, the scary moment where the hands begin twitching uncontrollably and are pulled up in front of the face. Tagovailoa showed similar symptoms from a concussion during the 2022 season, a year in which he sustained three concussions. He left last night’s game immediately and went into the locker room, with the team confirming he had sustained a concussion.

On Friday morning, head coach Mike McDaniel met with the media, with Tagovailoa’s injury, status, and the team’s way forward as the main topics of discussion.

McDaniel was asked if the Dolphins are considering adding a quarterback as they assess Tagovailoa’s health and any potential return, or if they will move forward with quarterback Skylar Thompson as the starter. McDaniel explained, “[The discussion of potentially adding a veteran] started late last night and I think the way to best articulate where we’re at is the team and the organization are very confident in Skylar and see there was a reason he was our backup quarterback. That being said, we will bring in someone. We’re just evaluating the pros and cons for the different situations and getting through all those possibilities to do the best thing for the team, but as it stands today, I’m expecting that Skylar is the next man up.”

The coach was asked if he believes last night’s concussion was worse than the previous concussions he sustained in 2022. “Realistically for me, first and foremost, I’m not assessing the injury through the lens of all right, so what does this mean for him playing? And so just what I know to be of the utmost importance and what I really care about, it didn’t really matter the severity of it. I think this is something that it’s super important to – the whole, all the science behind concussions tells you what we’ve learned is how delicate the time is right after an injury and how important it is that you don’t institute extra sources of anxiety. So from my vantage point, I feel it’s supremely important in understanding that, that I’m not giving off any sort of vibes, I’m not trying to even look at, ‘OK well, how serious is this relative to his past ones?’

He continued, saying, “Really, really for me, I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day and in that, the actual, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint. And knowing that and with my relationship with players – specifically with Tua, but with all the players – it’s not in my DNA to think, ‘Hey, what does this mean for…’ What it means is that to properly prioritize what’s most important that I have to put his health as the primary. And so it’s been 10 hours since I last talked to you guys. For me, I absolutely positively will not do anything to make anything worse or hurt anyone of our players, specifically guys that are in concussion protocol.

“Ironically, I think there’s a lot of people that have vested interest in the Miami Dolphins. There’s a lot of fans and there’s a lot of people that want to support, but quite literally, questioning timelines; that gives forth anxiety. Trying to meet them, trying to assess what this means for playing. This is heavy stuff that you have to be diligent and deliberate and coaching up Tua, ‘Hey, your job is to be a dad and to communicate daily’ – and we’ll have daily assessments with experts in the field and handle that. And that is the only thing that matters because you don’t make matters worse by trying to – he would be able to feel if I was trying to vibe out and diminishing what this was based upon some symptoms. So literally I understand it completely and it’s not like I would’ve thought any other way until I was in a position of finding out information of what’s best for players in this situation, but talking about or having any sort of assumptions or planning – like I have no idea and nor should I, and I don’t want to because I want him to be healthy. And the best way to be as healthy as fast as possible is to not focus on anything but being present; for him with Ace and Maizy and Annah and that’s it.”

After clarifying that the original question was not meant to be focused on trying to get Tagovailoa back on the field, but rather a sense of severity of the injury based on the outpouring of support from players both in Miami and around the league. McDaniel replied, “Thank you for qualifying that. My energy is coming from my supreme care and concern for him and quite honestly it’s probably misguided that I wasn’t projecting that energy out on you, but I totally hear what you’re saying and it’s because you hear the outpouring that you want to say as loud as you possibly can that it is absolutely imperative that he is assessing nothing to football right now and in terms of – I guess there was no discussion of him not walking off the field and he was highly communicative in the locker room with the trainers and the doctors so I think relative to some other times you could black-and-white assess that. There’s just so much – the people that matter the most and their opinions are Tua and the doctors, the experts. And both of those people have – I called him about an hour ago, he was still asleep so I haven’t talked to him yet, and they should be meeting here shortly for the first after-action time spent with experts. But I get it and I appreciate that and I wasn’t triggered at you. It’s obviously something that there’s a lot of emotional tie to.”

When the idea of considering possible retirement for Tagovailoa based on the concussions, McDaniel stated, “I think it would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject and it’s more in line of actually caring about the human being and that’s something that entirely you’re talking about his career, right? His career is his, and that’s something that I really, really, really wish – I totally understand it and it’s not misplaced. I totally get how that’s where people want to go to. I just wish that people would for a second hear what I’m saying that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him, so I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care, that that should be the last thing on your mind because – what do you think if I were to answer that question, I’d be like, ‘All right, this is my thoughts on his career’ and he read it. If he agreed with it or he disagreed with it, either way I’ve just made him worse. So I’m not taking this opportunity. I don’t think it’s appropriate simply because of my care and regard, and I don’t think those types of conversations when you’re talking about somebody’s career – it probably is only fair that their career should be decided by them.”

Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Guardian caps, the padded helmet covers that teams have been using in practices and training camp the last couple of years and were approved for in-game wear by players if they choose, were brought up, with the possibility of McDaniel pushing Tagovailoa to consider wearing it from now on. The coach explained, “I think specifically, if – I think just in general, the second people are telling me directly how much this, that or the other would specifically benefit a particular individual; when that particular conversation comes up, I’ll absolutely do whatever I can to follow up with things specific to individuals that could help them moving forward. I think those types of things are far away from me from my standpoint, but that hasn’t necessarily come up. This being the first year that they’re able to wear them, but I’m open-minded to absolutely everything to help players.”

McDaniel was asked if the team has decided to put Tagovailoa on injured reserve as they consider bringing in a veteran quarterback. “Again, that’s a fair question and I totally understand it – I literally will not know any sort of anything either way,” he replied. “Because again that would be – just knowing that, that’s how we’re operating as though we know nothing because we don’t. Again, the driving force behind any sort of move – let’s say playing any time, let’s say IR, let’s say whatever those things are – the absolute most important opinion, the most important person in this whole equation is Tua. His opinion and what he wants to do with his life and his career coupled with the experts in neuroscience, those are the driving forces behind those actions. I’m not hiding anything; I’m being as transparent as I absolutely could. I have zero idea what any sort of timeline is, and I’m actually extremely motivated to be in the gray because I’m extremely motivated to do right by the person that we’re talking about.”

He continued, returning to the human-side of the issue over the football point of view, saying, “That’s not an ideal way to do business necessarily, but this is more than business. So we’re operating as though – we just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation, and that’s all I want to do or we should do just because I’m not going to rush to judgement way prematurely. I’ll even throw this out; the only two people, the only two opinions that really matter that are the absolute driving force for what we’re doing at that position, Tua and the doctors. I don’t know, I don’t have any information from them. Me myself? If I’m a betting man, I’m guessing that those two people. I don’t see it, but who am I to know or judge? But I think it’s a fair assessment to be prepared to have three quarterbacks on our roster for the next game that we’ll need to add one for that game, but again, I have no idea and I am not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that aren’t in – I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of those.

“This is – literally all I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend, and then we’ll move from there. So there won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard and how long he’ll, when he’ll – none of that will happen without doctor’s expertise and the actual player. And again guys, I totally appreciate it. It’s not lost on me – I’m not trying to villainize. It’s more of like I’ve just learned this stuff, so I’m not trying to hold any cards or anything. But it is very important that there aren’t added anxiety pushed onto him right now, he just needs to be.”

The final question for McDaniel was about the moment that he kissed Tagovailoa on the head as the quarterback walked off the field and headed to the locker room. He explained what he said to Tagovailoa in that moment, stating, “I told him he’s the starting quarterback of his family and to go in the locker room, take a deep breath and I’ll see you soon.”

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

You can watch McDaniel’s media availability from Friday here: