OPINION: The video of Tua Tagovailoa’s reaction after suffering severe head trauma is a stark reminder of football’s addictive violence and the potential consequences. Yet, football’s viewership has never been better.
Despite concerns in some quarters about hiring practices, social justice, domestic violence and sexual assaults, the NFL continues to dominate televised entertainment. Last year, NFL games were 48 of the country’s top 50 shows and 91 of the top 100. CBS reports that games are averaging 18.55 million viewers this season, the network’s best start since 2010.
Congrats to everyone who stopped watching due to any aforementioned reasons. You’re clearly stronger than us who haven’t turned away since Colin Kaepernick was blackballed, Deshaun Watson was rewarded and Brian Flores and them were mistreated.
Tua Tagovailoa getting concussed is unlikely to make a difference.
The Miami Dolphins QB suffered a scary concussion on Sept. 29 against Cincinnati, but we won’t change our viewing habits. Just in case though, the league is adjusting to ease any pangs of guilt. Tagovailoa set a meeting with representatives from the NFL and the players union to review his injury evaluation on Sept. 25 against Buffalo, when he staggered and fell while walking to the huddle after a play.
The Dolphins say our eyes lied and a back injury caused Tagovailoa’s rubbery legs. Yeah, right. He passed a neurological evaluation at halftime (a doctor was subsequently fired) and played without event through the game’s end. The NFL tightened up the following week when at least a dozen players were removed from games under concussion protocols.
Only three players fell in that category during Week 3, although Tagovailoa should’ve made it a quartet.
In foresight and hindsight, allowing him to return was a poor decision, reinforced by his graphic injury last Sunday. After his head slammed into the ground during a sack, Tagovailoa laid prostrate and tensed in a fencing response, the classic symptom of a concussion. Replays and high-def close-ups of his fingers, flexed awkwardly in unnatural positions, were plentiful and controversial.
But mostly they were an honest, stark reminder of our deal with football’s addictive violence and the potential consequences.
Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who
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