In what was confirmed in earlier comments made by his father, it appears that Tua Tagovailoa is still dealing with the ramifications of the concussion he suffered toward the end of the regular season.
According to Marcel Louis-Jacques, who covers the Miami Dolphins for ESPN, Tagovailoa is still in concussion protocol and will not participate in next week’s Pro Bowl Games.
Tagovailoa was set to replace either Joe Burrow or Patrick Mahomes on the AFC Pro Bowl roster, after being named a first alternate. Instead, he will not partake in next week’s festivities set to take place in Las Vegas.
A source told Louis-Jacques that while multiple doctors and specialists are being deliberate about Tagovailoa’s time in the protocol, there have not been any setbacks, with his long-term health being the priority here.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in the Dolphins’ 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. He missed Miami’s final two regular season games and was still in the protocol for its Wild Card round matchup against the Buffalo Bills. In all, Tagovailoa missed six games during the 2022 regular season, after suffering concussions in both Week 4 and Week 16.
Despite concerns over Tagovailoa’s long-term health, the Dolphins have already committed to him as the team’s starting quarterback going forward, as Miami fully expects him to resume his duties in 2023.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.