Many have voiced their frustrations after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a scary-looking head injury on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the situation has now caught the attention of a key member of the U.S. Congress.
Bill Pascrell, who’s a representative of the 9th District of New Jersey in the House of Representatives and the head of Congress’s Brain Injury Task Force, took to social media to ask how Tagovailoa was cleared to play on Thursday.
Pascrell revealed in his tweet that he has written a detailed letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross that “demanded answers” on the situation.
“Today I’ve written to NFL commish Roger Goodell and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross demanding answers about the concussion to Tua days after he had another injury. As head of Congress’s Brain Injury Task Force I want to know how the hell he was on the field last night,” wrote Pascrell.
Today I’ve written to NFL commish Roger Goodell and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross demanding answers about the concussion to @Tua days after he had another injury. As head of Congress’s Brain Injury Task Force I want to know how the hell he was on the field last night. pic.twitter.com/cMzSAOtzFH
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BillPascrell) September 30, 2022
The letter mostly details the seemingly lenient protocol from the NFL during the four-day timespan between the Dolphins’ game against the Bills and their matchup on Thursday against the Bengals.
The final message from Pascrell is perhaps the most impactful, reading “The moment demands answers and action.”
It appears that the NFL and the NFLPA have heard this message loud and clear, as they have come to an agreement on a revised change to the current concussion protocol.
NFLPA and NFL soon are expected to agree to new protocols in which any time any player demonstrates any instability, he is not allowed to return to the game. The rule could go into effect as early as week 5.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2022
This new protocol would not allow any player to re-enter a game when they show any instability, which is certainly a step in the right direction when it comes to head trauma in the NFL.
While it’s good to see the NFL make this change, it doesn’t change the fact that the Dolphins very clearly put Tagovailoa in jeopardy on Thursday, which could have a profound impact on his career moving forward.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.