Ravens’ John Harbaugh astonished Tua Tagovailoa played amid possible head injury

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh did not want anyone confused about his thoughts on Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s scary injury Thursday night.

“Astonishing,” Harbaugh told reporters, adding he “could not believe what [he] saw.”

The coach clearly thinks the decision to play Tagovailoa Thursday night was not made with the quarterback’s health in mind.

Tagovailoa suffered the injuries in the second quarter of the Dolphins’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals after getting sacked by Bengal Josh Tupou.

Tagovailoa lay on the turf for several minutes before being taken off and sent to a hospital.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw last night,” Harbaugh said during a Thursday afternoon press conference at the Ravens’ practice facility. “I couldn’t believe what I saw last Sunday. It was just something that was just astonishing to see. I’ve been coaching for 40 years … never seen anything like it before. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Last week, the quarterback suffered what many at first believed to be a concussion. Tagovailoa violently hit his helmet on the turf and tried walking it off but stumbled. He left the game for a bit but apparently passed concussion tests and returned to action.

Tagovailoa later said his back was hyperextended, which led to his wobbliness.

TUA TAGOVAILOA’S HOSPITALIZATION SPARKS SUPPORT FROM NFL WORLD, CRITICISM OVER HANDLING OF LAST WEEK’S INJURY 

Despite concerns he had a concussion, he was cleared and allowed to return to the game. 

Following Thursday’s game, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel answered questions about how he and the team handled Tagovailoa.

“That would be irresponsible in the first place, and I shouldn’t be in this position,” McDaniel said when asked if he could have done more regarding Tagovailoa’s injury situation. “I do not have any — absolutely zero — patience for, or will ever put a player in position for them to be in harm’s way. That is not what I’m about at all, and no outcome of a game will ever influence me being irresponsible as the head coach of the football team.”

The NFL and NFLPA have launched investigations into how the Dolphins handled the situation. McDaniel said the team was “happy to comply” with the NFLPA’s investigation.