The Buffalo Bills beat the Miami Dolphins 31-10 on Thursday night, but the biggest story to come from the game had nothing to do with the final score. Rather, it was the concussion that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered in the third quarter that had everybody talking following the primetime matchup.
That included one of Tagovailoa’s former teammates, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played alongside the former Alabama star in Miami during the 2020 season. Appearing on the Amazon Prime Video postgame show, the longtime NFL quarterback expressed his belief that Tagovailoa should consider retiring following the third concussion of his five-year NFL career.
“If I’m him, I’m seriously considering retiring from football. If that was my son, it might be time,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m not a doctor, but (a concussion) is when your brain is really shutting off. It’s happened a couple of times.”
“Hit pause, give it some time. See how we’re feeling,” he later added. “He’s such a delightful human being. He has two little babies at home. That brings a different element into it.”
Tagovailoa’s concussion occurred as he rushed for a first down on a fourth and 4 before being tackled by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The 26-year-old quarterback laid on the ground for an extended period of time and appeared to be disoriented as he was helped off the field.
The Dolphins confirmed that Tagovailoa had suffered a concussion by the time the game had ended. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel is expected to provide an update on his starting quarterback’s health on Friday.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.