Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel faced the media bright and early on Friday morning, diving straight into the somber topic of Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury. The quarterback’s alarming fencing symptoms, with his hands twitching uncontrollably and rising up in front of his face as he hit the ground, left everyone in shock. This wasn’t Tagovailoa’s first brush with a concussion, as he had experienced similar symptoms during the 2022 season, where he suffered three concussions. The team wasted no time in confirming that he had indeed sustained a concussion during the previous night’s game.
McDaniel fielded questions regarding the team’s plans moving forward in light of Tagovailoa’s health concerns. When asked about the possibility of adding a new quarterback to the roster or sticking with Skylar Thompson as the starter, McDaniel revealed, “[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.”
When pressed about the severity of Tagovailoa’s latest concussion compared to previous ones, McDaniel emphasized that his primary concern was not about rushing the quarterback back onto the field. He stressed the importance of prioritizing Tagovailoa’s health above all else, stating, “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.”
As the discussion veered towards the potential of retirement for Tagovailoa due to his history of concussions, McDaniel swiftly shut down any such speculations. He firmly expressed, “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.”
In conclusion, McDaniel’s unwavering focus on Tagovailoa’s well-being and recovery was evident throughout the press conference. The coach’s dedication to his player’s health and safety was clear, and as the Dolphins navigated through this challenging time, McDaniel’s words served as a reminder that, above all else, the players’ welfare should always remain the top priority.