The Human Side of Football: McDaniel’s Concern for Tagovailoa’s Concussion Injury

The environment within Hard Rock Stadium was charged. However, a peculiar quietness took over during the third quarter. The game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills had the Dolphins on the losing end 31-10 on Thursday evening. The remarkability wasn't the score but the sudden silence. The stillness emerged when the Tagovailoa took a hit to the head by Bills safety Damar Hamlin and went down to the ground, showing signs of a potential head injury. When Tagovailoa was making an effort to get Dolphins closer to first down, the silence was already deafening. It was fourth-and-4 and crucial.Also Read - Tyreek Hill's FamilyIt happened in the collision - Tagovailoa remained on the field and it was clear that something was wrong. The head injury was evident and in a little while, the Dolphins confirmed the injury - Tagovailoa suffered a concussion. As a result, he wouldn't come back to the game.Amidst the seriousness, Tagovailoa walked out of the field and the Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel supported him. McDaniel has been a very close associate of Tagovailoa. While Tagovailoa was making his way to sidelines, McDaniel walked in step with him. Before they went in their directions, McDaniel moved closer. The head coach leaned to present his quarterback with soft kiss on the head.McDaniel's Act was a showing of deep anxiety and backing. It mirrored his intense anxiety for Tagovailoa's welfare. McDaniel shared his thoughts in post-game remarks, "My thought was concern. I was just worried about my guy," McDaniel told reporters after the game. "It's not something that you ever want to be a part of. You hope not to.”"For me, I'm not worried about anything that's out of my hands. I'm just worried about the human being."Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.Also Read - A Day In The Life of An NFL Player