1. There probably hasn’t been a more controversial story in the NFL this season than the handling of Tua Tagovailoa’s head injuries.
The Dolphins’ QB was unable to stand on his own after taking a hit during a Week 3 game against the Bills. But Tagovailoa somehow cleared concussion protocol, the Dolphins declared he had a back and ankle injury, and he was allowed back in the game.
Four days later on Thursday Night Football, Tua was slammed into the turf by Cincinnati’s Josh Tupou on a sack and had to be carted off the field after suffering a scary-looking concussion.
Tagovailoa has missed Miami’s last two games and is expected to make his return Sunday night when the Dolphins host the Steelers.
This puts Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and NBC in a tough spot, because everyone will be paying attention to how they address what happened with Tua and how they will react if, God forbid, Tua takes another big hit.
Tirico is a complete and total pro, so he will be up to the task, but you can be assured that the last thing Roger Goodell and the NFL wants is Tagovailoa’s concussion issues to be front and center during a national telecast. And at the end of the day, the networks are partners with the NFL and are expected to protect the shield.
But Tirico and Collinsworth have to rehash the entire story, including Tua being allowed to return in that Buffalo game and the NFLPA firing the independent neurologist who initially cleared Tagovailoa from protocol.
They will also have to address whether it makes sense that Tua is back in action already. Earlier this week, Tagovailoa talked to the media for the first time about the concussion he suffered against the Bengals.
“I wouldn’t say it was scary for me at the time, because there was a point where I was unconscious, so I couldn’t really tell what was going on,” Tagovailoa said. “When I did come to and kind of realized what was going on and what was happening, I didn’t think of anything long term or short term. I was just wondering what happened.”
Obviously, Tagovailoa has been cleared to play, but does that mean he should play after what he went through? Would it make more sense for Tua to miss a couple of more games? It will be fascinating to see whether Tirico and Collinsworth engage in that debate.
For everyone involved, it would’ve been much better if the Dolphins were playing in a 1 p.m. regional game Sunday. But instead, Miami will play in a standalone game on national television with approximately 20 million viewers.
And the pressure will be on Tirico, Collinsworth and NBC.
2. Here’s a tremendous visual from the Cardinals’ win over the Saints on Thursday Night Football after Arizona's Marco Wilson returned an Andy Dalton interception for a touchdown.
3. It brought a tear to my eye to hear Al Michaels address the over/under on Thursday’s Saints-Cardinals game as the telecast went to break at halftime.
4. On the latest episode of JJ Redick’s podcast, former Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell gave the inside details of what happened on March 11, 2020, when teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and the NBA shut down and it was wild.
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5. Yankees manager Aaron Boone embarrassed himself after his team’s 3–2 Game 2 loss to the Astros by claiming the wind was a factor. Two things managers should never discuss after their team loses: exit velocity and wind. Boone talked about both. Brutal.
6. Nobody needs more proof that Ian Eagle is great, but here it is, anyway. With free chicken nuggets on the line during Thursday’s Bucks-Sixers game, Ian and Stan Van Gundy called the action like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
7. This week’s SI Media Podcast features a conversation with longtime radio host Chris Russo. The man known as “Mad Dog” talks about his upcoming introduction into the Radio Hall of Fame and what it means to him, the career renaissance he has enjoyed over the past year thanks to his weekly appearances on First Take, some of the ups and downs he's experienced while doing the debate show anchored by Stephen A. Smith and what his role is on the show.
Russo also reveals what happened after he revealed his First Take salary during an interview with Howard Stern and discusses his First Take future. In addition, Russo weighs in on recent sports headlines including the broadcasts of the MLB playoffs, the NFL’s Thursday Night Football problem, Jim Irsay’s calling out Daniel Snyder and Tom Brady’s current problems.
Other topics covered include the Mount Rushmore of TV shows, Bruce Springsteen and much more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
