The Miami Dolphins are under fire from a former WWE superstar who’s spoken out about concussions in sports.
Christopher Nowinski is not only a former WWE athlete but an American neuroscientist too.
The Harvard graduate, known for his gimmick of being a Harvard-educated wrestler, made his mission to fight for athletes who suffer from concussions.
His fight saw him calling out the Dolphins on Sunday after Tua Tagovailoa left the game for a head injury.
However, medical staff said Tagovailoa cleared the NFL concussion protocol, allowing him to return.
But Nowinski wasn’t buying it, as he witnessed something different from what the medical staff saw.
And this wasn’t his first time criticizing the Dolphins and their medical staff.
Nowinski Went After The Dolphins In 2017
Back in 2017, Nowinski tweeted out about the Dolphins letting Matt Moore back into the game after he suffered a nasty hit.
Playoff priorities! Miami QB Moore crushed helmet-to-chin, can't stand for 2 minutes, missed one play…watch here: https://t.co/9s10s9umi7
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) January 8, 2017
His tweet had a video clip of the hit, as his way of bringing awareness to concussions in sports.
His “Playoff priorities!” comment implies the team is putting winning a game over the health of their player.
Nearly six years later, he is going after Miami again, this time for the team doing the same thing to Tagovailoa that they did with Moore.
He has come out now saying the Dolphins mishandled both the Moore situation and the one with their current QB.
What the Dolphins did to Tua last night reminds me of how they mishandled QB Matt Moore in the 2017 Playoffs.
He was hit in the head, couldn’t stand up for 2 minutes, and missed one play.
Watch: https://t.co/fwcAX5TQwj pic.twitter.com/NpGahfkrLz
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 30, 2022
However, he made an interesting call before Tagovailoa suffered a devastating injury during Thursday night’s game.
“Everyone Involved” In Tagovailoa’s Return Should Be Fired
Shortly before Thursday Night Football kicked off, Nowinski made a tweet about the team playing Tagovailoa.
If Tua takes the field tonight, it's a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL.
If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn't right https://t.co/vxpaOif5rh
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 29, 2022
He called for the jobs of everyone involved with putting the young QB back into the lineup.
He even went as far as to say how these people will see a lawsuit against them.
However, this is something that might not happen since Tagovailoa himself said his back was the issue, not a concussion.
Tua Tagovailoa describes his experience through back injury that took him off the field late in the first half. pic.twitter.com/8j8RHGsgbD
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) September 25, 2022
This makes things worse if he lied to get back into the Bills game, which is something some pundits believe he did.
While the young QB went back to Miami after his head injury Thursday night, what’s going on with him is extremely concerning.
How The Situation Sets Back Concussion Care
With the NFLPA doing an investigation into the Tagovailoa situation, it’s already a step backward for players.
If medical staff can convince players to lie, as some believe happened with Tagovailoa, it means players are putting their lives in danger.
While past players have spoken out about concussions, their concerns don’t matter if the medical staff allows them to continue playing after suffering one.
However, the step backward is how teams could easily put players’ lives in danger.
Some teams are putting their win/loss record ahead of player health.
If this is in fact what is going on, it’s a sickening ordeal that the NFLPA and NFL need to put an end to.
NEXT: Former NFL QB Makes An Important Tua Tagovailoa Argument