Damien Woody is 'sickened' by Tua Tagovailoa's third NFL career concussion in TNF | SC with SVP

Tua's concussion Damen Woody in studio there was a game Buffalo won it that's a story to his play prior to the injury is something we would have discussed right yeah hadn't played well then he gets injured and given Damien this man's injury history yeah oddly enough so often on these Standalone games with the whole country watching and I ask you just as a player and as a human that cares about the fraternity what was your reaction to this first thing I did when I saw the play was I just said oh no I think everyone did oh no not again because it seemed like every time we've seen two of concuss has been on National Television yep whether it's the the you know the Prime Time game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati Green Bay in in the promt slot and then tonight and you just again as a we us players man we look at each other we're brothers in the fraternity yep and the first thing I thought about was man we got to start we got to have a conversation I don't know who it is whether it's his wife whe you know whoever it is having a a conversation with that man about your quality of life because this this game of football it doesn't M it doesn't matter in the in the in the grand scheme of things you got so much life to live and I just for me it's just sickening to see this man see like time and time again right being in that uncom position and I knowing you well and knowing how much family is at the center of your existence as a man and knowing that the tongue of aloa family like his brother played at Maryland we got to got to know him from on the fringes of how close-knit this group is right and how much family means to them uh it is it is just so frightening to witness it and the thing about concussions in this sport is they happen as we know it's an unfortunate reality on a weekly basis but in two's case because that it's happened so often because the the response has been horrifying to watch because you realize that what the body is going through in that moment I don't think what you're saying is unreasonable but I guess if there's a if there's a positive it's we saw him taking off on a stretcher in Cincinnati yeah and the when he sat up I thought okay great he's clearly not playing tonight nor should he yeah but thankfully at least at least there's that I just I just wonder Have We Become not desensitized but so sensitized to him that we're reacting in this way in a way we wouldn't with another player does that make sense it makes sense but again I just I don't play when it comes to these concussions I've seen so many guys that you know especially during my time and I wouldn't say during my time let me let me correct that so many guys want to they don't want to let their teammates down they feel like they can play through anything we always think about ourselves as gladiators but then there's a residual fact that you don't necessarily feel in the moment but later on it may be a week later it may be a month later it may be years later but you feel that residual effect and so as me as being that that fraternity Brothers I like to like to call us players okay is that you always you want the best for that man again we just playing a game understood it's a game but I I worry about the man's long-term health and in this game down by 21 in a game where he struggled to do anything off schedule and he protect he's learned to protect himself but what happens in that moment the Instinct of I've got to make this line and he did but at what cost right I think that's that's the thing you can't protect a competitor from himself in a moment like that because he's just doing what he's compensated handsomely to do and what he he's trying to help his team win yeah we were having a conversation you know watching and one of the comments I made about two is you you know he doesn't he doesn't play above the ex of the nose like if the play is draw he knows how to execute execute in those first couple SE seconds but then if it's not there he doesn't have anything but we saw in that moment in that moment he tried to make something happen and look what happened right it's it's you know again it's just unfortunate to see how that all unfolded and because because his injuries have happened so so publicly on such enormous stages with so many people watching it look social medias can can often be toxic and a often be a cesspool but I I think in that moment I saw you I know I like so many people everyone's reactions God this is awful and you just you you just hope the man's okay I mean look it's one thing they're getting they're getting smoked on the field and and and there's that reality right and that's part of tonight but I think just looking I I can't fathom you know you're the Where does Miami go from here? coach and you're it's your your charges to to prepare your men to play but to your point right I mean this is this this guy plays for him and and just the reaction and seeing I I can't imagine what you're trying to process in real time and then how you try to play the rest and the rest of the game was it was the game was over at that point and it was essentially played that way I just I just wonder what where does Miami go from here as it relates to its quarterback you know that's a great question that only two and I think coach Mike McDaniel can really answer and I'm sure it's you know right now it you know it's hard to really answer that question because there's so much information that that needs to be gathered in in this particular moment but moment but I just I just go back to I remember the conversation we had about when when Tu had the conversation about where his mindset was like when Brian Flores and how he felt like he was down in dumps and then when Mike McDaniel came in and how he the relation ship that that he formed with Tua fostered belief correct and and just he what I like what I like to call pour life into into two of tongue of our Lord and to see to see that guy injured like that it has to be devastating for you as a coach because all the time that you you know you spend together um play calling and your quarterback and so you know now spinning forward if you're the Miami Dolphins who knows we don't who knows how long Tu a Tong of allo is going to be out and and if you're in the locker room boy you like it's week two and where do we go from here well and and here's the thing about the the world we now occupy player safety's at the four as it should be however there are protocols and if he goes through the protocols and is okay and is is good to play whenever that might be next week the week after that everyone's holding their breath watching this man play and the minute that it happens again if it were to happen again then everyone is up in arms that he shouldn't be allowed to you know what I'm saying like that that's that's the reality of this it's almost like a lose lose situation and it's a lose lose situation because again just like you said even you follow the protocol and and Tua comes back and then you know another unfor unfortunate incident like this happens again we're going to be right back here correct we're going to be right back here talk you know talking about whether the you know the the Miami Dolphins or the NFL should allow two back on the field it's a it's a violent game you're never going to legislate out I mean this man has done a has learned how to protect himself as best as possible that's been something that they've talked about quite a bit not to put himself In Harm's Way but again you're down 21 it's Fourth and four that's your instinct and of course how are you GNA what are you going to do like you're he's not going to be able to neuter himself in terms of playing in in a way that would completely eliminate the possibility of being injured um we're waiting to hear from Mike McDaniel and that piece of it there is a football game and I think we've we've we've certainly had occasions where there are injuries and you treat those with the respect that they deserve as I believe we're doing here there's the game which Buffalo's defense dominated Buffalo went down and won and prior to two his injury I think the story of this night was largely Cook's play and their defense and a night where Josh Allen didn't have to put the cape on and be the guy that he kind of had to be against Arizona week one and I would think this is an awfully satisf result for Buffalo to can add another page to this dominance against this rival and quiet the chatter about people that have so much to say about their their quarterback and whatever it is they're not what impressed you about what they did most defense think about all the change on the defensive side of the football particularly in this secondary M Miami Miami exactly and so one of the things that we talked about coming into this game was how are they going to minimize the explosives from from the Miami Dolphins you know you got two of the most deadly wide receivers was in the National Football League and jayen w jayen w and obviously the cheetah and the way I love the the Buffalo Bills game plan what you tell me about that what you what did you guys used to do in New England like the way we used to play the Indianapolis Colts with Peyton Manning we used to have people get deeper than the deepest make them go the long hard route and because they you know these teams that are so explosive they're not patient okay can they put together 10 12 Play drives and clearly that was a game plan of the Buffalo Bills defense and it worked to Perfection that that and and Cook's performance I think that that you want and it was interesting a week ago against Arizona you could see Buffalo attempting to to make that a big part of what they were trying to do but then they fell behind by 14 and it almost feels like in those uh instances it's like Josh just go just make something happen that's a luxury that's the luxury I have Jos mostly he does but in this instance they really didn't have to ask a whole lot to be done because cook did much much of the heavy lifting as did uh their defense so I mean to get a win Huge win this early in the season like this early last year it came late to to uh clinch the division uh Buffalo gets a much more comfortable win I think tonight than certainly they did in the first one where in this game they never trailed absolutely and and you know we actually saw kind of like the transformation of the Buffalo Bills in the second half of last of last season where you saw them leaning you know more you know with James cooked the running back they became a more balanced and I felt like coming into the season that this was going to be a more efficient offense they don't necessarily have a number one why receiver although KH KH Shakur is their probably the the top Target for for Josh Allen but they are more efficient offense you clearly see James Cook when he gets going it just opens up everything and it and it takes some of the load off of Josh Allen as we did the Highlight we mentioned Thurman Thomas anytime you make the you make the list with Thurman Thomas that's like mention with Barry S in Detroit or something you see Josh holding up three it was two rushing touchdowns and and one receiving touchdown there [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]