Team coach Mike McDaniel did not retain his star for this meeting against the New York Jets, four days after his shock against the Cincinnati Bengals, which led him to the hospital.

A match he should not have played, according to many observers, because four days earlier, against the Buffalo Bills, he had been the victim of a violent tackle, after which he had struggled to stay upright.

Taken to the locker room, he had undergone the concussion protocol carried out by a doctor from his team in consultation with an expert in neurotraumatology, who established that his motor instability resulted from an injury to the back and not to the head.

He had been cleared to return to the field and had been instrumental in the Dolphins victory.

The NFL has opened an investigation to ensure that the concussion protocol has been respected, while committing to modify its mode of operation.

The body should prohibit players suffering from gross motor instability from returning to a match.

As it stands, a player cannot play again unless the team doctor, in consultation with the consultant, determines that the instability is neurological in origin.

This leaves a loophole to return, if an injury of another nature is found.

Above all, the regulations stipulate that "the responsibility for the diagnosis and the decision to resume a match with a player rests exclusively with the main doctor of the team or the doctor designated as such".

Ultimately it is the club that decides whether or not its player returns to the field.

Several media reported this weekend that the players' union (NFLPA), which is jointly leading the investigation with the NFL, fired the independent neurotrauma consultant who examined Tagovailoa against Buffalo.

The latter had concluded that he did not suffer from concussion.

"I can't speak to what the league and the union decide to do with this pundit," McDaniel said.

As for knowing when he will be able to dispose of his quarterback, "it's too early" to say.

"He's just trying to follow proper procedure and protocol. It's something we will always hold ourselves accountable for."

© 2022 AFP