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CINCINNATI (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered neck and head injuries after being sacked in Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was taken to hospital for a further evaluation.
The Dolphins said Tagovailoa was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities after being taken on a stretcher from the field. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Tagovailoa was hunted down and sacked by Josh Tupou with around six minutes left in the first half. He was turned over and thrown on the grass. As he lay on the ground, his hands froze in front of his face. He lay in bed for more than seven minutes before being loaded onto a backboard, stabilized and strapped to a stretcher after his face mask was removed.
Dolphins players rallied as Tagovailoa walked off the field and the crowd chanted ‘Tua! You are!.”
Tagovailoa, 24, the team said, suffered from back pain and was listed as questionable for most of the week before the game.
Tagovailoa briefly left Sunday’s 21-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills after appearing disoriented by what the team initially said was a head injury after taking a hard hit from Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano at the end of the first half. He only missed three snaps and returned after halftime, a move that prompted the NFL and the National Football League Players Association to jointly examine what prompted the decision to allow him to return to play.
The team and Tagovailoa said after the game, the quarterback injured his back, which caused his awkward trip and fall after being knocked to the turf in the second quarter. The team said Monday that Tagovailoa is not on concussion protocol.
Miami initially said it was a head injury, but Tagovailoa said after the game he hit his back in the fall.
Going into Thursday’s game, Tagovailoa was 8 for 14 for 100 yards and an interception. He was replaced in the game by Teddy Bridgewater, who threw a touchdown pass to Chase Edmonds with 15 seconds left at halftime.