On September 29, 2022, Tua Tagovailoa was left in a hazardous condition after being hit in an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to video records, for the first few seconds, he would lay with his hands stuck in an unnatural position above his head. After this, he grew seemingly lifeless. He continued in this manner until he was removed from the field on a stretcher.

This injury would make headlines because some would say it could have been prevented. The week prior, Tua had been hit and left with a hyperextended back. A concussion was likely.

The NFL states that any player that exhibits “lack of balance/stability, lack of motor coordination, or dysfunctional speech” is unable to return to the field. While the Dolphins organization didn’t notice any of these behaviors, some would say they didn’t look closely enough. That said, the NFL itself didn’t see any wrongdoing on the part of the Dolphins due to their current protocol. That week, the NFL would adjust said protocol. They would add the “Tua Rule.” This protocol states that symptoms such as unconsciousness, confusion, and amnesia will immediately remove a player from eligibility for an upcoming game. This change was necessary to say the least.

According to research, 99% of NFL players have CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). CTE can be described as “Brain degeneration due to repeated head traumas, which causes concussions, short-term memory loss, impulsive behavior and depression.” This is not to be taken lightly. Most of the available studies related to CTE are based on ex-athletes.

Changes have needed to be made and they still do. This Tua situation has made the NFL a safer league to be a part of though. Moving forward, teams will be careful before allowing players to step on the field. Although this was an unfortunate incident, some positive definitely came from it. Tua is lucky to be in the condition he is now.

Although he is still playing and likely feels back to his normal self, Dr. Bennet Omalu (discoverer of CTE) says that Tua should retire from the NFL. He believes that Tua has suffered permanent brain damage. CTE is irreversible and is not curable.

Tua’s family says they are worried for him and his future. This is partially due to the fact that after having a concussion you are significantly more likely to have another one. This fact does not seem to faze Tua though, as he has resumed NFL play by his own will. Since returning, Tua has picked up where he left off and won both games, he’s played in. It’s fair to say that Tua has gained a fan base, and NFL fans are rooting for him now more than ever before.