Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

John Harbaugh on Tagovailoa hit: 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing'

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 9/30/22

Reactions continue to come in from around the NFL regarding Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's injury against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. Among the more pointed statements made on the incident, Baltimore Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh told reporters it was "astonishing to see" Tagovailoa on the field, both in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday's injury as well as on Thursday night.

Asked about concussions, John Harbaugh said he was “astonished” by what he saw last night w/ Tua… And he couldn’t believe what he saw last week either pic.twitter.com/3wkzrGXUbJ
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) September 30, 2022

"I really appreciate our doctors, our owner," he said, making it clear that the Ravens would have done things differently if put in a similar scenario.

The NFL Players Association is conducting an investigation into the events that led to Tagovailoa re-entering the game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, September 25. They announced their investigation is ongoing after Tagovailoa was injured Thursday night.

Player health and safety is at the core of the union's mission. Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing.
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) September 30, 2022

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters the team would never put a player’s health in jeopardy as long as he’s head coach.

Mike McDaniel explains why Tua was cleared to play. Says he got all checkups, including independent doctor clearing. They didn’t misreport injury.

“We don’t mess with that. Never have. As long as I’m the head coach that’ll never be an issue you guys will have to worry about.” pic.twitter.com/TjTcIPWLFF
— Will Manso (@WillManso) September 30, 2022

When Tagovailoa was initially taken to the locker room last Sunday for examination, the team announced he suffered a “head injury,” before changing course following his examination.

Harbaugh’s comments go against-the-grain from what is generally said by coaches in the NFL when asked to comment on their peers, as ESPN reporter Mina Kimes pointed out on Twitter.

Whoa—this is pretty stunning coming from a coach. Usually just stick to platitudes. https://t.co/tfzMn45WcC
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 30, 2022

“I’ve been coaching for [almost] 40 years now,” he said. “And [I’ve] never seen anything like it before.”

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