Tua Tagovailoa and Damar Hamlin are victims of the NFL's most regressive season in ages [View all]
Prior to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin fighting for his life on Monday Night Football after collapsing in front of a horrified national audience, the ongoing NFL season was already a more regressive step back in the player safety department than any in recent memory. Hamlin being loaded into an ambulance while paramedics attempted to resuscitate his heart was the nadir, but it wasnt a standalone incident. Along with Tua Tagovailoas recurring brain injuries, Aaron Patricks lawsuit against the NFL for an injury caused by their cluttered sidelines, and the growing pushback against deleterious artificial turfs, the NFLs entertainment component has been diminished this season and the fury among players is growing.
Independent doctors missed Tagovailoas concussion symptoms after he stumbled getting manhandled during a completion against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. The next week, his head was dribbled off the turf against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football. In an odd twist, those were also both of the participants in Monday Nights Football clash. Tagovailoa also endured another setback in Week 16 against the Packers when he finished the game with a confirmed concussion that wasnt caught until he self-reported symptoms a day later.
Yet, his and Hamlins episodes have defined this traumatic season. Tagovailoas fencing response one week after team doctors attributed his wobbly gait to a back injury wiped out any of the NFLs propaganda about lowered concussion rates in 2021.
With each passing concussion without giving Tagovailoas brain time to heal, he risks second impact syndrome, which can result in catastrophic neurological injury, according to Dr. Chris Nowinski. Tagovailoa probably shouldnt have played again this season and he appears to be more susceptible to reinjury than he was before. Things have gotten so bad, Dolphins fans should be praying that they get eliminated in Week 18, so that their young quarterback wont even have the opportunity to play in the Wild Card round.
During the preseason, the NFL tested out padded Guardian Cap helmets that mitigated concussive blows, but discussions about incorporating them into the regular season have gone nowhere because of their aesthetic. Guardian caps are ugly and the NFL makes too much money from sales of their current hard-shell helmets designed with logos emblazoned on the sides to interfere with that revenue. Theyre looking for an even larger financial windfall after allowing teams to introduce alternate helmets.
https://deadspin.com/tua-tagovailoa-damar-hamlin-nfl-injuries-1849945794