ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is calling for someone to be fired after Tua Tagovailoa’s latest injury.
On Thursday night, Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field after suffering a head injury in the second quarter of the Dolphins-Bengals game.
During Friday morning’s episode of First Take, Smith said “somebody needs to be fired” within the Miami organization after ripping the team for allowing Tua to play four days after it appeared he had sustained a head injury during the team’s game against the Bills on Sunday.
“Somebody needs to be fired. Now I don’t know who, but somebody’s got to go,” Smith said. “… I’m looking at Mike McDaniel the coach like ‘What the hell are you thinking?’
"Somebody needs to be fired! Now I don't know who, but somebody got to go."
—@stephenasmith reacts to Tua Tagovailoa's injury pic.twitter.com/pYor8YpwL3
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 30, 2022
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has insisted that Tua was cleared to play by medical experts who say the QB did not sustain a head injury in Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Mike McDaniel reiterates he doesn't regret playing Tua Thursday: "The whole process of what happened in the Bills game [Sunday] was that he was evaluated for a head injury… and then cleared by several layers of medical professionals, which I don't pretend to be one."
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) September 30, 2022
The NFL’s chief medical officer has come forward to reveal that Tua had been checked for concussion symptoms every day since Sunday and was cleared to play on Thursday.
Speaking with @judybattista on @nflnetwork, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills says Tua Tagovailoa was checked for concussion symptoms every day since Sunday. Points out independent neuro expert had to clear him. Once review is done, full results will be released publicly.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 30, 2022
NFLPA president JC Tretter released a lengthy statement saying that the players’ union will find out how Tua was cleared to play on Thursday.
The NFL and NFLPA are currently in discussions about possibly “enhancing” the current concussion protocol to make sure what happened to Tua doesn’t happen again.
The NFL and NFLPA continue to review the handling of Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion check, in which a team physician and unaffiliated neurologist cleared him to return Sunday, and both sides have raised the possibility of enhancing protocols, again. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/fi47za92FZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 30, 2022
