Kittle expects ‘tighter' concussion protocols after Tua injury

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The current discussion surrounding the NFL's concussion protocols is just getting started. 

When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field and taken to a local hospital after sustaining head and neck injuries in the "Thursday Night Football" loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, many were upset that Tagovailoa was able to play in the first place.

Tagovailoa sustained a previous head injury just four days prior in Miami's Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills. 

The 24-year-old was discharged from the hospital that same night and flew home with the team after the game. Despite sources confirming to ESPN that initial tests showed no structural damage, Tagovailoa underwent further tests on Friday and will be placed in concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa himself released a statement on Friday afternoon and said that he's feeling much better and is focused on working his way back onto the field. 

In speaking to reporters on Friday after practice, 49ers tight end George Kittle discussed Tagovailoa's scary injury and weighed in on the discussion surrounding concussion protocol in the NFL and how the situation should or should not have been handled in the four days leading up to Thursday night's game. 

"I did see what happened to him, I did see what happened to him last week," Kittle told reporters. "... As an NFL player, it's very hard to take yourself off the field especially when you're in a position he's in. He's the starting quarterback of the Dolphins, they're 3-0, he's playing at a very high level, they're winning very big games. So I know whatever anybody's telling him he's going to do his best to be out there.

"Sometimes people have to save you from yourself, that's just an issue of being a football player."

Tagovailoa's injury served as a reminder to everyone of just how violent and dangerous football is. Fortunately, Kittle has not suffered a concussion in the NFL but has noticed improved protocols since his rookie season in 2017. 

"It sucks to see that, knowing that it's kind of what you sign up for when you play football," Kittle added. "That's a risk that everybody [faces] every single play. It sucks ... If they notice anything on the sidelines, I've been checked a couple times and fortunately, I haven't had a concussion so I've gotten through those. But they were very serious with that stuff, so I think they've done a good job.

"I don't know what's happening in the Dolphins building, I don't know what they talked about last week at halftime that allowed Tua to play in the second half. If he thinks he's alright then I'm going to trust a guy's instinct, but like I said at the end of the day, sometimes the team has to kind of protect you from yourself."

Kittle understands that the competitive nature of players will make any decision difficult regarding their availability for an upcoming game. After Tagovailoa's scary situation and the discourse that followed, Kittle expects the league to take action and anticipates stricter protocol surrounding concussions and head injuries as the season progress. 

"It's really on the player, unless if a guy is legit falling over -- which I guess Tua did last week -- no player is going to want to take themselves out of a football game and the team can only do so much," Kittle explained. "There's tests and stuff like that, you can still somehow pass it I guess. It's on the team to really protect these guys.

"Last night is a scary example of when a guy's not protected. I'm not saying the Dolphins did anything wrong, but Tua could have passed all these tests and maybe his concussion last week wasn't so bad. I don't know the details, but with all the scrutiny that's on it right now, I'm going to assume that things are going to get even tighter moving forward."

RELATED: Lynch: Jimmy G thought 49ers drafting young QB was 'mistake'

After the league previously had investigated the Dolphins' handling of Tagovailoa's injury in Week 3, it remains to be seen what additional information will surface after the incident on Thursday night. 

Regardless of what information comes out, Kittle believes that changes likely are coming. 

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