NFLPA Investigating Miami Dolphins' Handling of QB Tagovailoa's Head Injury

The Miami Dolphins sent tremors through league circles when they announced quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had been placed in concussion protocol following the team's 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. Now, the Players Association appears to be stepping in. The NFLPA has launched an investigation into the Dolphins' handling of their young passer's second concussion this year.

the NFLPA was initially reviewing the matter, as is standard procedure when a player enters concussion protocol. That has now transitioned into an official investigation, a source tells me https://t.co/8Hg86gav7W

— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) December 28, 2022

Tagovailoa played 100% of the offensive snaps in Sunday's loss, which made his placement in concussion protocol this week quite surprising. It is unclear when he suffered the head injury, but he had a particularly ineffectual closing two quarters following a scorching first half.

Tagovailoa suffered a horrifying concussion earlier this year in a Week 4 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after being cleared from a controversial Week 3 back injury. The incident was so shocking the NFLPA enacted a revised concussion protocol in the aftermath.

Tagovailoa has been one of the league's most effective quarterbacks this year when available; he leads all qualifying passers in net yards per passing attempt (8.04) and passer rating (105.5). His status for Week 17 is already in question, but the ramifications of this concussion could be just beginning. The Dolphins have declined to commit to Tagovailoa returning this season, and they could be in line for extensive scrutiny and punishment if they are found to have put their young passer at risk through negligence or recklessness.