Joe Burrow was just yards away on the sideline as Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field after suffering a concussion against the Bengals.
In an appearance this week on the “Colin Cowherd Podcast,” Burrow called those injuries “scary.” He said that players hold their breath and hope the injured player is OK, gets to the hospital safely and can “come back eventually and have a normal life and a career.”
“Everybody knows the profession that we do is a dangerous game,” Burrow said. “That’s always a possibility.”
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Burrow told Cowherd that he believes he has suffered concussions in his career and that everyone who plays the game has dealt with them at some point. He said that he hasn’t had concussions with long-lasting effects or experienced headaches or other symptoms, but he has forgotten the rest of the game after being hit.
“I’ve had some where I don’t remember the second half or I don’t remember the entire game or I know that I got a little dizzy at one point, but nothing long-lasting,” Burrow said.
The third-year Bengals quarterback said the league can make rules to try to make the game safer, but there will always be risk.
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“That’s part of the game, I think, part of what we signed up for,” Burrow said. “You’re going to have head injuries. You’re going to tear your ACL. You’re going to break your arm. That’s the game we play, it’s the life that we live and we get paid handsomely for it. I think going into every game, we know what we’re getting ourselves into.”
Burrow has never missed time in the NFL for a concussion, but he is certainly no stranger to injuries and being bruised for his efforts. He tore his ACL and MCL in his rookie season and has dealt with dozens of hits. No player has been sacked more than Burrow (99 in the regular season, 19 in the playoffs) since Burrow entered the league in 2020, according to Stathead. Burrow’s 19 sacks during the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl in 2021 are the most of a QB in a postseason, per Stathead. The next-closest is 14.
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Burrow’s comments come as the NFL Players Association continues its investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa’s injury. The Dolphins quarterback took a heavy hit in the second quarter of Miami’s Week 3 game against the Bills and then stumbled getting up. He left the field after that but returned to the game in the second half. The team described his ailment as a back injury. The NFLPA opened its investigation after the game.
ESPN reported that Tagovailoa was evaluated for a concussion each day between the Bills clash and his next game. Tagovailoa wound up playing against the Bengals on “Thursday Night Football.” He was injured taking a sack in the second quarter. He had to be wheeled off the field on a stretcher. He was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for evaluation. The team said after the game that he had suffered a concussion.
As part of the NFLPA’s investigation, the union fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC) involved in allowing Tagovailoa to return to the Bills game, citing “several mistakes” made by the doctor. In order for a player to return to a game after entering the NFL concussion protocol, a team physician or a UNC has to clear the player to return.
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The NFL and Dolphins have faced plenty of criticism following Tagovailoa’s injury, with NFLPA president JC Tretter, Ravens coach John Harbaugh and more weighing in on his return to action in Week 3.
On Saturday, the NFL and the players association announced (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) that modifications to the protocol were needed and that changes would be made in the coming days. Among the changes: a player would not be allowed to return to the game if he demonstrates any instability.
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