A tragic but familiar scene played out at Hard Rock Stadium Thursday night.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion after rushing for a first down in the third quarter. Tagovailoa ran into Buffalo Bills defensive back DaMar Hamlin, hit his head on the ground and then appeared stunned.
Although he was able to walk off the field, Tagovailoa was later diagnosed with a concussion for the fourth time in his life.
Multiple current and former players reacted to the incident, with some calling for Tagovailoa to retire.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen addressed the incident in a post-game interview with the NFL on Prime Video panel.
“If you know Tua outside of football like I do, you can’t help but feel for him,” Allen said. “He’s a great football player, but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him. I’m just praying for him and his family and hoping everything is OK.”
Dolphins backup quarterback Skylar Thompson told reporters that the situation “makes me sick.”
“In my position, you never want to have your opportunity to come with something like that,” Thompson said. “You care about the person more than the player, and everybody in this organization would say the same thing.”
Hamlin also sent a message to Tagovailoa on social media and spoke to reporters about his after the game. In 2022, Hamlin’s heart stopped after a hit in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and he was in an induced coma for two days. After returning as a part-time player last season, he has resumed a larger role with the Bills this year.
“It’s trauma. It will always be there,” Hamlin said, according to The Athletic. “I’m able to not be affected by it because of the work that I’ve done. I went through trauma therapy. I have a psychologist I talk to. It’s allowed me to push my mind forward, push my process forward.”
He later added: “I know he’s a dog. He’s a fighter. He’ll be back soon, for sure.”
