Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol, no timetable for return

MIAMI — Tua Tagovailoa traveled back to south Florida with the Miami Dolphins and was in good spirits, head coach Mike McDaniel said, after the quarterback was stretchered off the field and taken to the hospital during Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion and is in the protocol, according to the Dolphins, with no timetable for his return.

Tagovailoa hit his head on the turf while being sacked by Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou in the second quarter Thursday. Tagovaailoa remained on the turf for roughly 12 minutes before he was carted off the field on a stretcher and eventually taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with a concussion and neck injury. The injury occurred four days after a similar incident during Miami's game against the Buffalo Bills, in which Tagovailoa hit the back of his head on the ground and was evaluated for a concussion.

Both he and McDaniel said Tagovailoa passed multiple concussion evaluations — including one at halftime of the Bills game and each day leading up to Thursday's game, according to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills.