Sources: Tua to meet with neurologists this week

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered another concussion during his team’s Thursday night game against Buffalo, is scheduled to meet early this week with neurologists, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Tagovailoa will be seeking their input into the severity of his latest concussion and the cumulative effect of the ones he has suffered in the past to make the most informed decision about his future, sources said.

Tagovailoa sustained a hit to the head during Thursday night’s loss when he lowered his shoulder into Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa’s helmet made forcible contact with Hamlin’s arm, prompting a fencing response as a stunned crowd at Hard Rock Stadium let out a collective gasp. Tagovailoa remained on the field for several minutes but was able to walk off and into the locker room under his own power.

He was almost immediately ruled out for the rest of the game.

Tagovailoa was diagnosed with two concussions during the 2022 season and took a third hit to the head that led to the NFL altering its concussion protocol, specifically with how they’re reported and evaluated.

Counting his final season at Alabama, Tagovailoa has four diagnosed concussions in the past five years. Playing for the Crimson Tide in 2019, he was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose on the same play in which he suffered a hip dislocation and fracture of the posterior wall of his hip socket.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spoke to local reporters Friday morning and said he was not focused on Tagovailoa’s return to football. As his quarterback left the field Thursday night, McDaniel told him to focus on his family for the time being.

McDaniel also implored fans and reporters to allow Tagovailoa to focus on his health before discussing the possibility of his return or retirement.

“You’re talking about his career — his career is his,” he said. “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.”

ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.