Tua Tagovailoa injury update: Dolphins QB won’t wear Guardian Cap upon return to play, explains why

Tua Tagovailoa is back in the fold for the Miami Dolphins. The club is designating him to return to practice this week and, if all goes according to plan, will start in Week 8 when the team takes on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If/when he does, however, the quarterback won’t be donning a Guardian Cap. When speaking to reporters on Monday, Tagovailoa, who has been sidelined with his latest concussion, was asked if he’d sport the soft shell over his helmet. 

“Nope,” he said. “Personal choice.” 

Tagovailoa was also asked how much risk he believes he’s taking by playing again.

“Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work?” Tagovailoa answered. “Get into a car crash, I don’t know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything, and I’m willing to play the odds. That’s it.”

In the past, the NFL has cited studies that the severity of player impact is reduced by 10% with a Guardian Cap, while the severity is reduced by at least 20% if two players wearing the caps collide. 

Given Tagovailoa’s extensive history with concussions, including this latest head injury that landed him on injured reserve, there was external speculation that he could decide to wear it upon his return. However, that’s not the case. Neither the Dolphins nor the NFL can mandate that Tagovailoa wear the Guardian Cap, either. 

“We aren’t allowed to mandate things that aren’t mandated in terms of their attire,” head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday. “I think in terms of his career, we just have a high priority to pass forth information and knowledge so that decisions can be made with the full breadth of information. I think that I always preach that it is the individual player’s determination if they want to do so, and so what you don’t do is skirt the information gathering process, and you make sure they’re well informed, and they have access to all the available options which is supremely important to me. 

“And then players, when they’re making choices that relate to they’re playing their careers as it’s negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement, I appreciate the individual determination for how they play.”

Running back De’Von Achane, who also dealt with a concussion, donned a Guardian Cap in Week 7, becoming the first Dolphins player to wear one in a regular-season game.