Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field and taken by ambulance to a hospital after a frightening injury during Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tagovailoa was sacked by Cincinnati defensive tackle Josh Tupou. Footage shows Tagovailoa fall on his side, roll over onto his back and hold his hands in front of his face awkwardly.
NBC Sports notes this may have been what’s known as a “fencing response,” which is “a neurological response to head trauma.”
Warning: the footage may be difficult to watch:
“I’ve never seen anything like that, the way the hands went,” Tony Gonzalez, a former NFL tight end and Amazon Prime Video broadcaster, said during haltime, according to Yahoo Sports.
Tagovailoa was flat on the field or several minutes as the team’s staff worked to stabilize him and eventually move him onto a cart and off the field.
The team said on Twitter that he suffered “head and neck injuries” and will be evaluated at the hospital.
“He is conscious and has movement in all his extremities,” the team said.
The incident comes days after Tagovailoa was taken out of a game on Sunday over apparent concussion fears. He cleared concussion protocols and returned to the game ― but the NFL is investigating to see if those protocols were followed.
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