Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be permitted to play against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend after clearing concussion protocol, coach Mike McDaniel has confirmed.
Tagovailoa has not featured since the loss to the Buffalo Bills on September 12 after suffering a concussion, the third such injury of his career, but returned to practice on Wednesday.
The QB, who was the league’s leading passer a season ago, officially cleared protocol, in accordance with NFL policy, after practicing in full on Thursday.
Several pundits and ex-players had called for the 26-year-old from Hawaii to retire, with some even urging the NFL to take the decision out of his hands to prevent serious long-term damage.
Catch up on this week’s top quotes ahead of #AZvsMIA ⬇️
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 25, 2024
But Tagovailoa, speaking on Monday, was adamant he would not be retiring from the game.
He said: “How much risk do we take when we get up in the morning and drive to work? There’s just risk in any and everything.
“I love this game and I love it to the death of me. That’s it.”
For the first time, the NFL has this season allowed to wear Guardian Caps – padded, soft shell covers which fit over a player’s helmet and are designed to reduce the force of head collisions.
Their use has been mandated in pre-season practice since 2022 and this year the number of concussions fell from 26 to 18, a drop of 31%.
However, none of the nine players to wear them so far during games are quarterbacks and Tagovailoa said he won’t wear one due to “personal choice”.
Without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins lost three of their four games and are currently in second place in the AFC East with a 2-4 record.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 3-4 this term but come into the game off the back of a 17-15 victory over the LA Chargers last weekend.
