Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years.

Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL's concussion protocol before he can return to the field.

Tagovailoa was hurt last Thursday night when he collided with Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.

Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline. The Dolphins diagnosed him with a concussion a few minutes later.

Coach Mike McDaniel has since cautioned against speculation on the quarterback's future, stressing that he's more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career. Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health amid reports that he has no plans to retire.

Others around the NFL have offered their opinions on Tagovailoa's future, including Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who suggested he should retire.

“As far as Tua’s career is concerned, I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak on Tua’s career,” McDaniel said Monday. “Reports are reports. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just worried about the human being and where that’s at day to day. I’ll let Tua be the champion of his own career.”

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was at the team's practice facility on Monday, greeting teammates and working with trainers.

“He’s doing good, man. Talked to him, he’s in good spirits,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said Monday. “(He’s) got the team in good spirits and everybody praying for him and hoping (for his) health.”

Head injuries have become a familiar, scary occurrence throughout Tagovailoa's career.

In a September 2022 game against the Bills, he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. He was cleared to return to that game and later said it was a back injury that caused the stumble. He was not diagnosed with a concussion.

Four days later, he got hit again during a Thursday night game at Cincinnati in which he was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken off the field on a stretcher. As he lay on the turf, his fingers appeared to display the “fencing response,” an involuntary motion typically associated with a brain injury. That time, he was placed in the concussion protocol.

The NFL and the players' union made changes to the concussion protocol after those two incidents with Tagovailoa. Players who have problems with balance or stability are now prohibited from returning to a game.

Tagovailoa briefly considered retirement, but instead returned and studied ways to better protect himself on the field, including taking jiu-jitsu classes ahead of the 2023 season.

Tagovailoa has said he spoke to numerous neurologists who told him they did not believe he would be more susceptible to head injuries than any other player moving forward, nor would he be at a higher risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He was also diagnosed with a concussion while in college at Alabama.

With Tagovailoa sidelined, the Dolphins will go with backup Skylar Thompson when play at Seattle on Sunday. Miami also signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens' practice squad.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) sits on the field as he is attended to after an injury during the game against the Buffalo Bills in the second half of an NFL football game on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is assisted after an injury in the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Miami Gardens, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) lies on the field after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) lies on the field after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) as he leaves the game after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion, AP source says

Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion, AP source says

MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — New England leaf-watching season is in full swing, as people from as far as Florida and Berlin flock to the region for scenic drives, train rides and bus tours to soak in the splendid hues of red, orange and bronze. With quaint towns and covered bridges scattered through swaths of changing forest, the rural Northeast provides an ideal setting to view nature's annual show.

"Leaf-peeping is one of the most accessible tourism things that you can do," said Teddy Willey, the general manager of the Frog Rock Tavern in Meredith, New Hampshire. “You don’t have to have the athleticism to be a hiker, you don’t have to have the money to own a boat.”

You just need to be able to jump in a car and head north, he said.

The Associated Press livestreamed the colorful landscape on Tuesday.

“Once you’re there, you just take it in," Willey said.

He spoke just after his tavern was flooded with tourists from Indiana who had stepped off a sightseeing bus.

Among them was Vicky Boesch, of Fort Wayne, who had made the trip with her sisters.

“We came out to the Northeast to see the beautiful foliage and the colorful leaves,” she said, adding the she was impressed with Vermont.

“The leaves were very pretty on the mountains because the sun was out yesterday, and so that makes them pop more,” she said.

It wasn't only the fall colors that provided a contrast with Indiana, she said, but also the region's distinctive architecture, lakes and towns.

Gordon Cochran, of Lake View, Iowa, said he was in New Hampshire to visit his daughter and had a “beautiful ride” on the slow-moving Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad.

Weather conditions associated with climate change have disrupted some recent leaf-peeping seasons. One problem is that global warming has brought drought that causes leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach their colorful peak.

Willey acknowledges that he's not a leaf guy.

“Personally, no. I grew up here, so I think it loses its luster a little bit,” he said with a chuckle, adding that the season still has its moments.

"I’ll be driving somewhere around the Lakes Region, and all of a sudden, you're like, ‘You know what, there’s a reason why people come here and there’s a reason I live here. It really is quite beautiful,’” he said, referring to a scenic part of eastern New Hampshire.

The leaves start to change by the canal under the Chestnut Street bridge in Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/ Patrick Whittle)

Fall colors are displayed on Loon Mountain near Lincoln, N.H., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

A sheep walks through pasture at Shaker Village where hardwood trees are showing their fall colors, Tuesday, October. 15, 2024, in New Gloucester, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A maple tree shows its fall colors, Tuesday, October. 15, 2024, in New Gloucester, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The leaves start to change by the canal under the Chestnut Street bridge in Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/ Patrick Whittle)

Fall foliage and fallen leaves are seen a back road in Marshfield, Vt., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Fall colors are displayed on Loon Mountain near Lincoln, N.H, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

Fall colors are displayed on Loon Mountain near Lincoln, N.H., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

Trees changing to Autumn colors surround the Middle Covered Bridge, which spans the Ottauquechee River, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Woodstock, Vt. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Leaves display bright colors near Lake Waukewan, in Meredith, N.H., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Leaves display bright colors, in Meredith, N.H., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Birds rest on Lake Waukewan near a tree with changing colors, in Meredith, N.H., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Leaves display bright colors near Lake Waukewan, in Meredith, N.H., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Leaves on trees display bright colors as people using water craft float on Meredith Bay, in Meredith, N.H., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A fly fisherman paddles on a pond as fall foliage begins to show color in Campton, N.H., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A fly fisherman paddles on a pond as fall foliage begins to show color in Campton, N.H., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A fly fisherman paddles on a pond as fall foliage begins to show color in Campton, N.H., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Fall foliage begins to show color in Campton, N.H., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A fly fisherman paddles on a pond as fall foliage begins to show color in Campton, N.H., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)