Medical experts are worried after Dolphins star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa displayed the fencing position after suffering a concussion during the 31-10 loss to the Bills on “Thursday Night Football.”
Tagovailoa exited the game after sustaining the injury late in the third quarter and was quickly ruled out.
The fencing position is described by verywellhealth.com as “an involuntary physical position that occurs as a result of severe brain injury. This type of posture resembles an athletic fencing position—one arm is bent towards the body, and the other arm is outstretched.”
Tua Tagovailoa displaying the fencing posture on Sept. 12, 2024. @ChrisNowinski1/X
Tagovailoa appeared to show this posture after being tackled by the Bills’ Damar Hamlin during his scramble for a first down on 4th-and-4 in a 31-10 game.
The quarterback took the hit instead of sliding and he collided hard with Hamlin before his head hit the ground.
Tagovailoa’s right arm extended straight outward for a few seconds right after he hit the ground, while his left arm cradled the ball.
“Tua suffered a traumatic brain injury on this play, no question,” Dr. Chris Nowinski, an ex-wrestler whose X bio says he’s fighting to end CTE, tweeted Thursday night alongside a clip of the video.
“His right arm shows the ‘fencing posture’ indicating loss of consciousness & is on the severe end on the #concussion spectrum. He is done for the night and must miss the next game.”
Tua suffered a traumatic brain injury on this play, no question. His right arm shows the “fencing posture” indicating loss of consciousness & is on the severe end on the #concussion spectrum. He is done for the night and must miss the next game.pic.twitter.com/3Ur62QfBLH
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 13, 2024
CBS Sports HQ injury expert Marty Jaramillo said Tagavailoa displaying the fencing position showed a “textbook sign of a severe head injury.”
Jaramillo said that if the injury is as “extreme” as it seemed in the moment, Tagovailoa could be out for eight to 12 weeks and retirement could be on the table.
Tagovailoa being tackled before the concussion. AP
Tagovailoa falling to the ground. AP
Several former NFL stars are already saying Tagovailoa should consider hanging up the cleats.
This injury marks Tagovailoa’s third concussion over the last three seasons, with the 26-year-old suffering a pair during the 2022 season, and he acknowledged he previously considered retirement.
Tagovailoa is scheduled to undergo further testing Friday.
Tagovailoa after being tackled. @ChrisNowinski1/X
Tagovailoa on the grass after the concussion. AP
“This young man simply doesn’t have the luxury of having multiple concussions and (then thinking) he will have a long career,” Jaramillo said, per CBS. “(It’s) not fair to himself and his family.”
