NFL-Dolphins turn the page on Tagovailoa, releasing quarterback after tenure defined by head injuries

March 9 (Reuters) – The Miami Dolphins said on Monday they have decided to release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the start of the new league year, bringing an end to a tenure defined by a series of high-profile head injuries that led to changes in the NFL’s concussion protocols.

Tagovailoa, who arrived in Miami with great fanfare after the team selected him fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, suffered three diagnosed concussions with the Dolphins that led to growing calls for him to retire.

“I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year,” Dolphins General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in a statement.

“As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is. On behalf of the Miami Dolphins, I expressed our gratitude for his many contributions, both on the field and in the community, during his six seasons in Miami.”

In a 2022 game against Buffalo, Tagovailoa’s head bounced off the field after a hit late in the first half and he stumbled to the ground while trying to walk back to the huddle before he was removed from the game. He returned in the second half from what the team listed as a back injury.

Four days later, Tagovailoa’s head again slammed into the ground after being taken down on a sack and he demonstrated a fencing response after the hit – a response to traumatic brain injury symptomized by unnaturally flexed hands and curled fingers.

That prompted a joint investigation by the NFL and NFL Players Association which determined the Dolphins followed league protocol after the injury, but the outcome of the Tagovailoa case was not what was intended when the protocol was implemented. As a result, a modified protocol was put in place immediately.

Early in the 2024 season, Tagovailoa suffered the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career after hitting the back of his head against the ground during a third-quarter scramble and he again went into a fencing response.

Tagovailoa went 44-32 over six seasons with Miami. He threw for 18,166 yards, with 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions. The Dolphins made the playoffs twice during Tagovailoa’s tenure but lost in the first round both times.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)