Tua Tagovailoa’s injuries and concussions are causing plenty of discussion in the NFL. 49ers star George Kittle believes changes will be coming soon

Munich – The drama surrounding Tua Tagovailoa is not leaving his colleagues around the league cold.

Many can empathise with the Miami Dolphins quarterback. They can understand why the playmaker continued to play last Sunday despite signs of a concussion.

That had already caused debate, as Tagovailoa passed Concussion Protocol at halftime of the game to the surprise of many.

His head and neck injury from the “Thursday Night Game” at the Cincinnati Bengals only adds to the spat – critics feel that Tagovailoa should not have played on Sunday or Thursday. The playmaker has since spoken out and given the all-clear that he is feeling a little better. He had been hospitalised but travelled back to Miami with the team after the game.

Tua Tagovailoa from himself

George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers can empathize with Tagovailoa.

“As an NFL player, it’s very hard to take yourself off the field, especially when you’re in a position like he is. He’s the Dolphins’ starting quarterback, they’re at a 3-0 record, he’s playing at a very high level, they’re winning important games. So I know that no matter what he’s told, he’s going to do his best to be out there,” Kittle said.

“Meaning, sometimes people have to protect you from yourself, that’s just part of being a football player,” the tight end said.

No player will want to take themselves out of a game and there is so much the team can do, Kittle explained. “There are tests and stuff, you can still kind of pass those, I think. It’s up to the team to really protect those guys.”

Immediate Consequences

Kittle believes there will be immediate consequences from what happened in terms of procedures at Concussion Protocol. Investigations had already been launched after Sunday’s match.

Thursday’s game was a scary example of when a player is not protected, Kittle said, “I’m not saying the Dolphins did anything wrong. I don’t know the details, but with all the investigations that are coming up now, I expect things to be tightened up in the future.”