As Tua Tagovailoa returns to the field, Nick Saban praying for him
After a four-game absence, Tua Tagovailoa will be back at quarterback when Miami plays the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said on Friday.
Tagovailoa has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion on Sept. 12 in Miami’s second game of the season.
On Friday, McDaniel said the former Alabama All-American had been cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol after participating in three days of practice this week.
“After going through the process,” McDaniel said, “and having a practice where we were able to initiate some contact with him and then he met with an independent doctor and was fully cleared. He is out of the protocol.”
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The Dolphins have one more administrative matter to handle for Tagovailoa to play. He’s been on injured reserve since Sept. 17, and he’ll have to be returned to the 53-man active roster on Saturday to be able to play against the Cardinals.
Because Tagovailoa suffered two concussion that caused him to miss five games during the 2022 season, the quarterback’s latest head injury raised more red flags than usual.
Among those concerned for Tagovailoa was his former college coach, Nick Saban. During an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, Saban said he was glad Tagovailoa would be able to do what he loves, but he has reservations.
“I’m concerned,” Saban said. “I want Tua to be safe and healthy and not have a football career that’s going to impact him down the road, No. 1. No. 2 is I think organizationally this is a medical decision and this is not an organizational decision. People look at him and say, ‘Why are they letting him play?’ I think the doctors make that decision, and it’s a medical decision.
“Then for him, it becomes personal, as to, ‘I really want to play. I’m a competitor. I love playing. I want to play.’ So he has to make a decision: Is the risk-reward from a medical standpoint worth it to you? I think all those things are in play now. If he wants to play – and I’ve talked to him, I know he wants to play, I know what kind of competitor he is – then I’m happy for him that he’s having the opportunity to play. But I also pray for him that he doesn’t have any issues.”
McDaniel said Tagovailoa decided to keep playing after consulting with concussion experts.
“Tua met with a litany, a laundry list, a long list of medical experts, and zero of them recommended that he shouldn’t play football,” McDaniel said. “So that means 100 percent of them were supporting the continued journey. … I know that’s what drove his confidence is making his decision in step with medical experts who fully support what he’s doing, so I think everybody feels good about that.”
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The Dolphins play the Cardinals at noon CDT Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.