He started the third quarter, drawing wide-spread criticism as to why he was allowed to return to the game. Tagovailoa was immediately taken to the locker room and to go through the NFL’s concussion protocol, after which he was cleared of any head injury. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. 25 against Buffalo, Tagovailoa took a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. The league and players’ union said in a joint statement Saturday that while the Dolphins followed protocol after the injury, the outcome of the Tagovailoa case “was not what was intended when the Protocol was drafted.” As a result, language addressing abnormality of balance/stability was added to the league’s protocol list of symptoms that would keep a player from returning to the game.

(AP) - The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to make changes to the league’s concussion protocol following a joint investigation into the procedures after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered what was described as a back injury against the Buffalo Bills last month.

Vice president salute protocol