Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out of Sunday's playoff clash against the Buffalo Bills, and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith believes his entire career could be at risk following a series of concussions this season.
Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, has suffered three concussions in the current campaign, raising serious concerns about his long-term health. He was concussed against the Bills earlier in the season and again just days later after being controversially cleared to play. He has now been placed on concussion protocol once more, ruling him out of the wild-card game.
Speaking on ESPN's First Take, Smith said: 'I think his career is in jeopardy. There's no way in hell that when he was in that game against Buffalo, and he got knocked down, got back up, and came back up again, that he should have been allowed to continue playing in that game. Four days later, four, he shouldn't have been allowed to play against Cincinnati.'
Smith highlighted the lack of recovery time between games, noting that the standard concussion protocol typically requires six days, but Tagovailoa played just four days after his first concussion. 'There was not enough time before he was allowed onto that field against Cincinnati, he went out on that field and we all know what happened - he was carried out in an ambulance,' Smith added.
The Dolphins will now start rookie Skylar Thompson at quarterback, with veteran Teddy Bridgewater also battling to return in time. Medical experts have voiced concerns over player safety, and Smith warned that Tagovailoa's lack of size compared to NFL defenders compounds the issue. 'This is a serious, serious issue. This young brother's career is in jeopardy before it's even had the chance to get started,' he concluded.
