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Mike McDaniel: 100 percent conviction in our process with Tua Tagovailoa

The Dolphins’ handling of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion evaluation in last Sunday’s game against the Bills was the subject on an investigation before Thursday night’s game against the Bengals, but it is under renewed scrutiny after Tagovailoa was taken to the hospital with a concussion during that contest.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel fielded a number of questions about the decision to clear Tagovailoa to return last weekend and play on Thursday night. McDaniel said that he was cleared “by several layers of medical professionals” of having “any head injury whatsoever” in the Buffalo game.

Tagovailoa was listed as questionable to play on Thursday with back and ankle injuries and McDaniel said he would “absolutely not” do anything differently in regard to putting him in the lineup.

“In terms of deciding whether or not to play a guy on a Thursday night game, I’m concerned about his lower back and ankle and putting it in harm’s way,” McDaniel said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I have 100 percent conviction in our process. The only thing that would keep me from playing him would be going against medical advice. I had no worries whatsoever. I’m in steady communication with this guy. There were absolutely no signs. He had no head injury symptoms whatsoever. There was no medical indication from all resources that there was anything regarding the head. If there would have been anything lingering with his head, of course I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I prematurely put someone out there in harm’s way. This is a relationship I have with this human being. I take that seriously.”

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was “still feeling some of those headaches” on Friday morning and that he is “not thinking about timetables” when it comes to the quarterback returning to action.