GREENSBORO, N.C. — We are following developing news on concussion concerns in the National Football League. The league and player's association are investigating a recent injury involving the Miami Dolphins.
You may have seen the video of Miami Dolphins Quarterback, Tua Tagoavailo, being injured during their Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills. Tagoavailo was removed from the game briefly, before returning to action eventually leading the Dolphins to the victory.
Doctors said the injury involved his back and ankles, despite early reports claiming it was his head.
Four days later, he suffered another injury; this time, its a concussion.
A lot of blowbacks came regarding the independent Neurologist's decision to allow his return to the field. That doctor has since been fired, and the NFL is conducting a joint investigation. A final decision is expected soon.
Thursday we caught up with a local Sports Medicine Physician to speak to the dangers of concussions at the NFL and amateur levels if not treated properly.
Dr. Benjamin Jacskson is a physician at Cone's sports medicine center. He details what he saw during Miami's week 3 match-up.
"What we saw as an injury to the brain and abnormal neurological signals being sent to the rest of the body... his head whiplashed back and the helmet struck the ground. We visibly saw him trying to shake something off, then there was just a collapse. That's because his legs aren't responding to what his brain wanted them to do" said Dr. Jackson.
Tua not only returned to that game against Buffalo, but he then started in the Dolphin's next game, four days later, in Cincinnati on Thursday night. In the 2nd quarter of that game, Tagoavailo sustained a second brain injury, and he was eventually put on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.
"Having a second impact on the brain, before it's fully recovered from the first can cause compound symptoms and in many rare cases can be fatal. The problem here in Tua's case, we don't fully know where he was (in the recovery process) regarding his first injury to know if it was too soon for him to return," Dr. Jackson went on to say.
The Miami Dolphins have officially ruled Tagoaviola out for this weekend's game against the Jets.
