A couple of hours after the Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was so violently thrown to the field that he lay contorted in a way associated with brain injury and had to be carted off the field in a stretcher, he was released from the hospital and flew home with his team.
Speaking to reporters before departing, Coach Mike McDaniel said watching his quarterback down on the field was “an emotional moment” but then expressed relief “that he didn’t have anything more serious than a concussion.”
For those who have pushed the N.F.L. to take a more aggressive posture toward head injuries, the words rung discordant with the messaging from the league that, especially after a $1 billion settlement with former players with cognitive defects from the game, it was taking the problem seriously.